The We Are Them Project started as a feeling of anger and sadness when I heard about the treatment and portrayal of the Central American asylum seekers. I couldn’t shake this. I thought about my great-grandmother who had immigrated from Guatemala to San Francisco and my great-great-grandmother who came from Ireland to Battery Park in the 1800s. I thought about the tenement tour in New York City close to ten years ago, where I learned about the Irish immigrants’ poor living conditions and the belief they were lazy, filthy, and dangerous (among other things).

With more thought and research, I found many waves of immigrants/refugees/asylum-seekers were subjected to a similar fear-based narrative. For many of us, our parents/grandparents/great-grandparents/great-great-grandparents/even-us went through what the Central American asylum seekers are going through now. What if we shared these immigrant/refugee/asylum-seeking stories, our how-I-got-here, showing who they are: us—and showing the fearful narrative (i.e., the other who’s lazy, filthy, and dangerous, among other things) for what it is: untrue. Maybe we could put a dent in an over-150-year-old pattern and help the Central American asylum seekers be a little safer and a little more comfortable?

To get this idea off the ground, I needed help. On Facebook, I asked for pro-bono website design, logo and graphic design, and social media assistance. People from across the US responded and have volunteered their skillsets to make this campaign happen. In total, we are one website developer, one graphic designer, one copywriter, and a social media strategist. A big thank you goes out to these volunteers. Another big thank you goes to RAICES for providing asylum-seeking families needed resources and for supporting this campaign.

While we may have helped get this idea off the ground, my hope is that you feel We Are Them is yours too, and as more people share their stories, they feel it’s theirs as well, for it’s in the power of individuals telling their stories that makes this campaign come to life. Thank you so much for being a part of this. 

Sincerely,
Elizabeth Mack
We Are Them Organizer 

The We Are Them Project is a campaign that’s agenda is to show Americans many of us are them and “them” (i.e., “the other,” the “they,” “them,” “these people”) and that we can help our brothers and sisters from the south by donating so Central American, asylum-seeking families have more access to basic necessities before, during, and after border processing. 

For 12 months, Americans from all walks of life (i.e., poor/middle-class/wealthy, black/white/Asian/Latinx/native-peoples, republican/democrat/independent/other or no party, first-generation American/fourth-generation American…) share their immigrant/refugee/asylum-seeking stories (aka, how-I-got-here) over Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram (#WeAreThem). You can also email your story to us at stories@wearethemproject.org. We will upload and share as many stories as possible on the We Are Them website. 

There’s a donations page for people to donate to RAICES’ Family Assistance Fund; all donations go to families who’re waiting for their asylum cases to be heard and, afterward, as they settle in communities. We invite you to donate and share your story. In sharing it, you’ll inspire others to share too and help turn a fearful narrative into a brighter truth.