BOISE, Idaho — Los Caminos De La Vida translates to the Walks of Life. It’s a traveling art exhibit that features the journey of 11 immigrants now living in Idaho.
“The reason why we did 11 stories was to represent the 11 million undocumented individuals living in this country," said Roselli Guerrero, community organizer fellow with ACLU of Idaho.
The exhibit, inspired by ACLU of Idaho's DACAmented project, honors the pathway and sacrifices families have had to go through to come to the United States.
"Lots of people come here because of the economy in their home country, but also a lot of them are fleeing prosecution. They are just wanting a better life, better opportunities, they are coming here for work,” Guerrero said.
Guerrero is the exhibit organizer she says it also helps bring awareness to the daily struggles and importance of what they bring to the Gem State.
"The first thing we think about is always the economy and I really want to shift that because immigrants aren't just a money sign, they are more than that. They are our friends our families our communities' members and I really wanted to capture that,” Guerrero said.
The 11 stories are those of real people living in Idaho and to protect their identity the interviews were done anonymously.
"It's a struggle. At first, when I was younger, I would blame it on my parents because I knew I was going to be faced with so many challenges and obstacles,” Guerrero said.
Paola is among one of the 11 stories you’ll hear. Her parents migrated to the U.S when she was just a little kid.
"They had to go through a lot and look at us now. I am paying for college right now, it's because the school knows my situation and they are the ones helping me with that with the scholarships they've given me because outside of that I can't really apply for anything because I don't have a social (security number),” she said.
Each art piece features shoes and personal items representing their lives and journeys. Right next to the art is a QR code you can scan to listen to their stories.
"There are some audio snippets that we grab. That way people can really hear the passion and the voices of our community,” Guerrero said.
Not only is this an opportunity for the community to learn about the immigrant journey, but Guerrero says it’s to help uplift those going through a similar experience.
"Really empower our community because often times they are living in the shadows scared to tell their story and we want them to feel empowered to feel that their story is really important, and we wanted to capture that,” said Guerrero.
The exhibit was recently shown in Caldwell. Guerrero says requests for the exhibit to be featured in schools and other local organizations are now being accepted.
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