In the pursuit of this project, I’ve ended up doing far more research than I ever expected.
The truth is that I didn’t even know I was doing research for this project.
I let my curiosity take over and allow me to go down multiple rabbit holes.
And in doing so, I’ve found interesting projects that were similar to mine but just different enough that it gives me reassurance knowing that this project is necessary.
For example, I discovered that Sandra Cisneros, author of the beloved 1984 novel The House on Mango Street, worked on a similar project in 2019. She interviewed undocumented immigrants in North Carolina to learn their stories.
She gave a local presentation on her findings, but she never shared them on the internet to protect the safety and privacy of the people she interviewed.
Another project I discovered hits a lot closer to home and happens to be next door. Author and journalist Alice Driver visited Springdale, Arkansas, to talk to the migrant and immigrant workers affected by a chemical accident at a Tyson Foods chicken processing plant.
She interviewed the Hispanic immigrants and their families about the deadly spill and how it affected their health, and even led to some dying as a result.
The immigrants she interviewed from 2020 to 2024 likely still live in Springdale, Arkansas, and I have the opportunity to connect with them and learn a bit more about their stories of how they arrived in Northwest Arkansas and why.
There have been more findings from what I’ve been exploring, but now I’m just trying to fit the pieces together and see how my project can provide value to our community.
That’s the tricky part.
Yet, it’s surprisingly enjoyable.
It feels like an archaeologist finding bits and pieces of history that have been buried, slowly putting them all together. Or it feels like a pirate having finally found his treasure chest, wondering what to do with it next.
Even reading an article I think would relate to this project has me jumping up and down like a maniac in the middle of my friend’s apartment.
I didn’t think I would love doing this. But here I am, answering the questions I’ve long been wondering about and making connections to places I hadn’t considered.
And through it all, I’m being connected to incredible people already doing impressive work in my area, even to the point where two of them joined this project as collaborators.
I feel like I’m finally contributing to a larger story, however small it may feel now.
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