A few words about this series by photojournalist Dan Splaine.
Immigration has always been a dominant issue in our public discourse and politics. America was formed by immigrants who displaced the Indigenous population. For more than two and half centuries we have had a running battle with successive waves of newcomers all while embracing our status to the world as “a melting pot.”
Arguably, immigration is the “secret sauce” of America’s success as a pluralistic, secular democracy. Immigration brings renewal, and innovation, and builds our expansive culture.
It is also often resented, scapegoated, and used as a blunt political tool.
This is a recurring cycle and theme of the country. Immigrate, meet resistance from the last crowd that showed up, assimilate, and ultimately move up in status. Rinse and repeat, this is our national story.
A century ago when my Irish, Catholic grandfather landed here he was considered no better than the mud on the soles of Boston Brahmin’s boots. Today his descendants are comfortably “American” with memories of second-class status long in the past.
Headlines and campaign slogans are painted with broad strokes. Words and themes often repeated begin to take on a power in people’s minds. The notion of immigration is like that now. “They” have become an amorphous collection, here to take and to do harm, making “them” easier to resent.
This project was conceived as a response to that, to help provide an antidote to that increasing resentment and dehumanization. This is an effort to put a human face on the word “immigrant,” to show New Hampshire residents the people who live among them, and to have them tell the story of their immigrant experience.
A series of interviews were conducted with multiple first-generation immigrants in New Hampshire. These immigrants are from a wide range of countries of origin and are at all points of status from undocumented to naturalized citizens. Each has a very individualistic story but collectively they share many universal facets in their journeys. These interviews were all conducted before the 2024 election.
Click a photo to learn about each subject’s journey. For more content from these interviews, see the video below.
“This is America. So… I just want to say that people need to remember and remind themselves what America is about. The history of America,” said one of the subjects of this project, Ali Sekou, an immigrant from Niger. “Because if you look at it, everyone at some point was an immigrant to this land. Secondly, let’s always remind ourselves about the greatness of America, the greatness in the diversity America has.”
I spent the summer and fall reporting, interviewing, and photographing this project throughout the state. The objective was to set aside my preconceived notions and see what I could learn about the immigrant experience from those who know it firsthand, to let these people express their own stories. They did not disappoint.
Dozens of people graciously met with me, told their tales, and led me on a path of discovery. It was enlightening and a privilege. As we are on the cusp of deporting immigrants on a mass scale it is worthwhile to consider what we could be losing in that process and the potential damage it will inflict.
Here are a few things I learned.
Immigrants are often described as ”‘inferior” but I would argue that by definition they have to be “superior” by managing to get here. The stories of where they came from, and the conditions, challenges, and threats faced and overcame to land on our shores are remarkable. These are capable, motivated, and highly adaptive people. They bring so much.
Refugees and newcomers need a hand initially, but the desire to add, not take from this country was a common theme expressed in our conversations. They come to build a future, sometimes to escape a past but always moving forward.
Most of the immigrants I spoke with had a positive view of their experience of living in NH. A few had some complaints about bias and resentment but most felt welcome and accepted, NH has an extensive network of refugee and immigrant agencies and nonprofit services. That work and the people I connected with during this project are impressive.
– Dan Splaine, Nashua Ink Link Correspondent
This project was made possible in partnership with Granite State News Collaborative and generous support from the Eppes-Jefferson Foundation, and was produced by Dan Splaine for Ink Link News, a founding member of Granite State News Collaborative.
OTHERS STORIES FROM THE SERIES
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