De Las Sombras / Out of the Shadows

“I am brown yes, but my dream…white as paper..” –Ricardo V.

The issue of illegal immigration continues to grip the nation, with ongoing complex political ramifications, difficult national security, health and public welfare problems, with active and vocal oppositional constituencies.

Who are these 12 million undocumented immigrants living and working in the United States today? As individuals they remain largely invisible and deeply misunderstood. The majority of undocumented immigrants are long-term residents, committed to living in the United States. Undocumented immigrants are often part of the same family as documented immigrants, and nearly half of the undocumented population has minor children, many of them born in the United States.

De Las Sombras: Out of the Shadows provides a probing portrait from within the world of undocumented immigrants, a bilingual exhibition of photography and personal commentary that tells one family’s story in their own words and puts a compelling face on the struggle of millions. Award winning artists T.J. Dixon & James Nelson spent four years documenting the story of one Southern California immigrant family. The result is an insightful photographic essay with 47 framed photographs accompanied by captivating quotes (in Spanish and English), and video components providing insight and dimension.

A majority of Americans support a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, but the collective will for successful congressional action/resolution and long-awaited new legal recourse, remains frustratingly remote. De Las Sombras: Out of the Shadows provides a moving focal point for consideration and conversation about the real human costs, and impacts of this stalemate, as played out in the lives of one family, their struggles echo the lives of countless others, still fearful and avoiding the limelight.