PGlmcmFtZSBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vcGxheWVyLnZpbWVvLmNvbS92aWRlby8yMTY3ODc4NDQ/dGl0bGU9MCZieWxpbmU9MCZwb3J0cmFpdD0wIiB3aWR0aD0iNjQwIiBoZWlnaHQ9IjM2MCIgZnJhbWVib3JkZXI9IjAiIHdlYmtpdGFsbG93ZnVsbHNjcmVlbiBtb3phbGxvd2Z1bGxzY3JlZW4gYWxsb3dmdWxsc2NyZWVuPjwvaWZyYW1lPg==Dear Friends,
A warm hello from VOW editors Steven Mayers and Jonathan Freedman! For over a year, we’ve been interviewing young people who are fleeing abuse, hunger, gangs, and corrupt authorities in their home countries of Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador to seek a better life in the U.S. Teens risk life and limb clinging to Mexican freight trains called “la bestia”—the beast—snaking through jungles, deserts, and tunnels toward an uncertain future.
Right now, we’re working to transform their incredible stories into a new Voice of Witness book titled Solito, Solita: Youth Migrants from Central America.
In a political climate where immigrants have been stereotyped and dehumanized by public figures, never has it been more important for them to tell their stories, in their own words.
That’s why we’re writing today to ask you to help us bring their crucial stories to light.
In the moving video above, one inspiring youth migrant—Soledad—explains why she’s determined to change the conversation about immigration by sharing her story through Voice of Witness. Soledad left her home country of Honduras at age 14 after being abused by her stepfather, abandoned by her mother, and forced into child labor.
In spite of everything, Soledad is now thriving and determined to help other youth who’ve experienced similar struggles.
But we need support from people like you to make this book happen and to get stories like Soledad’s out into the world. We have strong drafts of stories from 12 narrators so far. Your donations will allow us to conduct crucial follow-up interviews that are essential to crafting powerful, nuanced stories that do justice to the lives of their narrators.
Watch and share the video, and make a gift today to the Take Back the Story Campaign. A gift of any size makes a big impact!
¡Adelante!
Steven Mayers & Jonathan Freedman,
Co-editors of Solito, Solita
DONATE TODAY
Your Support Ensures That We Can:
- Create the most powerful stories possible by conducting key follow-up interviews
- Let narrators share their stories in their native language by covering translation costs
- Illuminate lesser-known deportation stories by traveling to interview young migrants sent back Central America
