Inspired by Everybody Reads author Cristina Henríquez’s tumblr The Unknown Americans Project, these videos and essays capture experiences from people who have felt invisible in the past and are ready to make their own story more widely known. Share your own story of INvisibility on social media using #UnknownAmericans.
I could be successful if I just tried to learn in different ways. So an aspect of my identity that isn’t visible is that I have a learning disability and this first became apparent to me when I was in second grade. I’d always been a good student, working hard, and my hard work always resulted in performing well, but then it came time to start memorizing. We […] Invisibility for me was safety. To me, invisibility means you can be practically anywhere, hear anything, and learn so much more about what’s around you because no one notices where you are. I grew up in Madaket, California. Itty bitty town, really bad place, where being invisible was the best thing. If you didn’t get involved in the gangs, you […] We decided to be better people and to give back to the community that saved us. Hi, my name is Demia. I’m one of those kids that had an abusive past with their parents. I’ve been in and out of foster homes my whole life and I’ve been working really hard with all different kinds of people through DHS trying to make my life change and to be a better person. […] I don’t see why loving someone for their head and not their body is a source for oppression and discomfort. Hello. You may not be able to tell from my appearance but I am pansexual—which does not mean I am attracted to kitchenware. In my experience, it means that I am attracted to a person’s personality and they way they think, rather than what their bodies adorn. For some people this is offensive and a […] I need to see my family and my friends. My family is from Romania. My sister, brother, and parents were born in Romania. I was born in Vancouver, Washington. For me, I love my parents and I love my sister and my brother…. It’s sad for me that my brother and sister don’t come to my house very often. It’s hard for me to […] The mothers of the other children came up to me and asked me what I gave their children. My name is Mariana. I want to tell you my story. I had a bad experience. I went to the park with my grandchildren and I took some cookies for my grandchildren [to eat]. When I wanted to give them the cookies, first I served the other children in the park because in my country […] Everyone seems to have their own freedom. My experience moving to this country, to America, it has been positive. The sense that I got the most is freedom. Everyone seems to have their own freedom and that’s really beneficial. You become very creative that way. I felt forgotten, and a lot of the time I was. I just wanted to do something good. A part of me feels like if people knew they might act differently. People were calling me by the name of this dead girl that didn't exist, never had. It's ok. There's nothing wrong with me. Oppression comes from a power differential. They said my visa was approved. After one month, they said my visa was unapproved again. It shows the subtle assumptions people make. We were so lucky to move here. A week later we would have been dead. She was so scared of me. She couldn’t even talk. They told me that not a lot of people would like me at school because I’m Mexican. Related Everybody Reads
I could be successful if I just tried to learn in different ways. So an aspect of my identity that isn’t visible is that I have a learning disability and this first became apparent to me when I was in second grade. I’d always been a good student, working hard, and my hard work always resulted in performing well, but then it came time to start memorizing. We […]
Invisibility for me was safety. To me, invisibility means you can be practically anywhere, hear anything, and learn so much more about what’s around you because no one notices where you are. I grew up in Madaket, California. Itty bitty town, really bad place, where being invisible was the best thing. If you didn’t get involved in the gangs, you […]
We decided to be better people and to give back to the community that saved us. Hi, my name is Demia. I’m one of those kids that had an abusive past with their parents. I’ve been in and out of foster homes my whole life and I’ve been working really hard with all different kinds of people through DHS trying to make my life change and to be a better person. […]
I don’t see why loving someone for their head and not their body is a source for oppression and discomfort. Hello. You may not be able to tell from my appearance but I am pansexual—which does not mean I am attracted to kitchenware. In my experience, it means that I am attracted to a person’s personality and they way they think, rather than what their bodies adorn. For some people this is offensive and a […]
I need to see my family and my friends. My family is from Romania. My sister, brother, and parents were born in Romania. I was born in Vancouver, Washington. For me, I love my parents and I love my sister and my brother…. It’s sad for me that my brother and sister don’t come to my house very often. It’s hard for me to […]
The mothers of the other children came up to me and asked me what I gave their children. My name is Mariana. I want to tell you my story. I had a bad experience. I went to the park with my grandchildren and I took some cookies for my grandchildren [to eat]. When I wanted to give them the cookies, first I served the other children in the park because in my country […]
Everyone seems to have their own freedom. My experience moving to this country, to America, it has been positive. The sense that I got the most is freedom. Everyone seems to have their own freedom and that’s really beneficial. You become very creative that way.