Since our founding, America’s identity and character have been grounded in the idea that we are a “nation of immigrants.” It is precisely our diversity and multiculturalism that make our nation unique. People from every corner of the world come here to build a better life for themselves and, in the process, they make invaluable contributions to our cultural, scientific and economic vitality.
Recently, though, a relentless barrage of anti-immigrant rhetoric and exclusionary immigration policies has divided us and created an increasingly polarized America. The fabric of our society has been torn, and, sadly, our “land of opportunity” has witnessed increasing anger and resentment toward new immigrants and their families.
We are at a critical juncture in our nation’s history: we will either become a more compassionate, inclusive, thriving and tolerant society, or we will deteriorate into a country where authoritarian demagogues target minorities and immigrants, breeding hatred and fear.
What to do? How can we advance a process of healing? How can we build new bridges of understanding among people of diverse backgrounds? How can we — how can I? –– promote empathy and compassion and encourage people to embrace each other with respect and dignity? How can we bring an end to our divisive polarization and bring our country to a place of healing and tolerance?
My answer is photography. In my 40 years of using photography to help people see and understand, I have found that warm, intimate portraits, accompanied by people’s personal stories, are one of the best ways to connect us to people whose life experiences are vastly different from our own. We can argue about politics and policies, but a person’s real-life story brings us essential truths and lessons that show us, vividly, how much we all have in common.
For Together We Rise, I photographed more than 160 men and women from all over the world. Some came as undocumented immigrants. Some came seeking asylum. Others came as DACA recipients. And others came traditionally, in search of new lives and full citizenship. I met people who work in vineyards and strawberry fields, I met doctors, lawyers, judges, and dozens of high-tech creators and innovators. And without exception, each immigrant expressed the desire to contribute fully to our society, and they came here because they deeply admire and deeply respect our democratic values and ideals. As one of our immigrants reminded me so eloquently: “Immigration is the greatest form of flattery.”
Immigrant rights are a subject close to my heart. I myself am the grandson of immigrants from the former Soviet Union. My grandparents came here in the early 1900s, fleeing the terrible anti-Semitic pogroms then on the rise. Had they not been allowed to enter as immigrants, I likely would never have been born. And, of course, a few years later, during the Nazi terror, America and others closed their doors to Jewish refugees, and six million people were left to perish.
Against such darkness, America still stands as a beacon of hope. And the stories we present in Together We Rise are an eloquent reminder of the many blessings that immigrants continue to bring to our unique experiment in freedom and individual liberty. Today it is my fervent hope that we can regain our balance and move together towards a more humane, compassionate, and just society. Together We Rise is my attempt to bring out the better angels of our American nature – to help us heal and thrive as a country.
Mark Tuschman
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