On July 2015, CultureStrike partnered with End Family Detention and Mariposas Sin Fronteras to release the Visions From The Inside project. We commissioned 15 queer, trans, and/or migrant artists of color from across the country to create images inspired by letters penned by detained immigrants. In July 2016, we commissioned another 14 images and this time we included stories of trans women in detention, folks who have been released and challenged the “good migrant narrative.” We also partnered with 3 new organizations: Familia Trans Queer Liberation Movement, Families For Freedom and Northwest Detention Center Resistance. By visually illustrating these letters we aim to bring awareness and a better sense of: the realities that people are experiencing inside of for-profit detention facilities, what led them to migrate in the first place and, most importantly, highlight the resiliency of the migrant spirit. The project centered migrants as collaborators with agency and critical stories to tell as opposed to art subjects. We want to bring the project to Facing Race 2016 so that attendees get a chance to interact with the final pieces and read the letters. We will be blowing up the images and have attendees participate with the project by watercoloring the images, and by responding and writing back to some of the detained women and children. We would like to display the final images throughout the conference and guide them back to End Family Detention’s website where they can read more letters from migrants inside detention centers.
