#MurrietaProtest

My experience with displacement gave way to the creation of the #Murrieta. In this “selfie conversation” I address the immigration crisis in this country, and more specifically reference the events that took place in California this summer. On July 1, 2014 Murrieta became a flashpoint in the immigration crisis when protestors blocked the road to prevent three buses transporting 140 migrant woman and children from entering the town (Fieldstadt, NBCNews.com). Instagram and Twitter users posted selfies while observing the people protest and supporting the transfer by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. Angered by what was taking place, and feeling empathetic to those women and children whom must have been terrified, I selected images from the protest. Once again, I found selfies that move beyond narcissistic tendencies and showed a political stance to create change. The series #MuerrietaProtest sheds light not only on the event that occurred on July 2014, but also the participation of people who voiced their opinion in a greater sense. In Figure 11 (above), the participants of the self-portraits hold a sign near their faces making visible identifying with its message. Even though we cannot read the sign, it is evident that they are participating and taking action in a protest. These images have more contextual clues about the issues of identity and activism than the series #Iamhere or #WhatLatinosLookLike.