1ST GEN: AMERICAN WOMEN
This project was completed in 2016 during a tense time in American history. We decided to take the celebratory approach to telling our stories. In 1stGen, a series of first generation American women are profiled, interviewed and filmed to shine a spotlight on the legacy of immigrants in America and their children. It is a celebration and reminder that we add beauty to our diverse landscape while making an enduring mark on our country and our beloved communities.
"What does it mean to you?"
Living in Los Angeles I’ve been exposed to a variety of people, cultures, ideas and traditions. First-generation Americans like me have grown up intertwining modern culture with elements of their parent’s culture and then integrating anything else that they want from their experience in this melting pot.
Here you don’t have to fit in, even though that’s what we’ve always wanted since we were poked fun at for being different when we were younger.
Once we embrace our uniqueness, we add to what makes America so diverse and groundbreaking. People want to know more about your culture and you learn about theirs, and just like that a domino effect begins and people are fusing cuisines, fashion, belief systems, medicine, and everything else under the sun.
We grow up with a foundation of who we are but once we blossom into adulthood you can remix, recreate, and reinvent yourself however you want to. That’s why I think to be American is to be bigger than what you think you are.
Here you don’t have to fit in, even though that’s what we’ve always wanted since we were poked fun at for being different when we were younger.
Once we embrace our uniqueness, we add to what makes America so diverse and groundbreaking. People want to know more about your culture and you learn about theirs, and just like that a domino effect begins and people are fusing cuisines, fashion, belief systems, medicine, and everything else under the sun.
We grow up with a foundation of who we are but once we blossom into adulthood you can remix, recreate, and reinvent yourself however you want to. That’s why I think to be American is to be bigger than what you think you are.
1stGen
Participant