Migrant Workers: Remembering the Forgotten
We Didn’t Cross the Border…the Border Crossed Us

Yarissa Valdez & Jennifer Hermance

Artist Biographical Information: Salvador Barajas is a 77 year old muralist who was once of the first artists
to paint murals in Chicano Park. Barajas became a citizen after his service in the Air Force and was the first one in his family to cross the Mexican-American border legally. He shares close ties to the immigrant community because his father immigrated to San Diego in the 1950’s. Different dimensions of this poster reveal Barajas’ theme: the homage to immigrants who died in their attempt for a better future.

Sight: The poster features two hands ripping a wall to represent disapproval with the money spent on building a wall along the Southern border. Barajas elaborates that this is an important image because it highlights how the United States only welcomes immigrants when they need them for labor and then proceeds to dispose of them when they are of no use to the government. In the image, the fence is opened to reveal a group of immigrants holding signs, one of which reads “no more deaths.” This is a symbol of the thousands of people who have died trying to cross the border and have been disposed of inhumanly by border patrol agents. Towards the bottom of the poster, there is a little girl holding a book titled “Aztlan.” This image is indicative of how law enforcement is ignorant to the meaning of Aztlan and they should be educated on it to understand why San Diegans value Chicano Park and its connection to Aztlan.

Sound: One can observe the facial expressions of the people in this poster. You see them smiling and screaming. You can perceive the passion and feelings behind their expressions, as if you could hear what they have to say, “No more deaths!” you can hear them scream, “Raza Unida!”. It sounds like an angry melody that is accompanied by laughter, pain, and hope. It is attention-grabbing, not only from the screams but the expressions on their faces.
A song titled “Lagrimas del Corazon” by Montez de Durango does a great job of representing immigrant stories. This song talks about the pain a father feels when he leaves his family to immigrate to the United States in search of job opportunities.

Reflection: This poster portraying immigrant workers produces a heightened consciousness about workers’ rights. It does not matter if they have documents or not, immigrant workers should have rights, they bring wealth to this country. The injustice our community has gone through and the many challenges that immigrants face every day. This reminds us of a quote by Ruper Garcia and Rupert Montoya that says “with the wire fence came hunger”.