Chantelle is the daughter of two hardworking Bolivian immigrants. As a child, she grew up noticing the diverse experience of the "American Dream" between family members that were permanent residence vs. undocumented. They all worked for the same reasons - to provide their family a better quality of life. However, as a child it was very confusing for her to reconcile that both were immigrants, both working for the same reason, but both were not provided the same opportunities. It is then that she decided to learn about and fight alongside the immigrant community. This project is yet another effort in this direction. Chantelle is also a photographer, multimedia journalist & activist now based in Cochabamba, Bolivia.
About 18 years ago, Laura Londoño and her family left Medellín, Colombia and immigrated to the U.S. in search of a better future. As she grew up, she realized her family dealt with many hardships others didn't deal with. Not only were they a minority, but we were undocumented. She is currently working at Sociedad Latina as a College Access and Success Coach supporting 70+ Boston Public School graduates in their transition to college. With this project, she hopes to engage in new ideas and pose challenging questions, while being comfortable with the discomfort of not knowing, and challenging herself to be an active learner and an agent of change. She aspires to continuously unveil the intricacies of reality for the purpose of more deeply understanding of herself and the communities in which she lives in.
Together, this project is a continuation of the work we are so passionate about, and hope to do for years to come.
We met back in 2016 at an Emerson College Org called Emerson UNITE (Understanding National Immigration Through Education) bonding over not only our shared fire over the topic of immigration, but also over our amor for reggaeton and big hoop earrings.
We both also participated in Emerson's Alternative Spring Break program. This opportunity offers students the ability to connect with community members and organizations in El Paso, TX. Year after year, we've been able to engage with local organizers such as Verónica from Corazones Unidos, Ivet and Edmundo of Chamizal Project, Shalini of the Diocesan Migrant and Refugee Services, and the congregation of Sacred Heart Church. We were so impacted by the stories we heard, that when we returned to Boston, nos pusimos las pilas, as we like to say. We were on a mission to make our community in Emerson College conscious and proactive about the U.S immigration system.
Our efforts through Emerson UNITE were the driving force that changed our institution. Since, Emerson has changed their resources and policies regarding undocumented students, and we've ignited a discussion around the immigration topics that will help future students like us succeed in their four years at Emerson.
To learn more about our relationship and work, we suggest you read Waiting in Line: Undocumented Students Fight for Protection.