Undocumented Stories started as a collection of personal, handwritten stories from members of the immigrant Latino community.  These powerful testimonies were collected in different immigration clinics, events, and gatherings in Austin, Texas, throughout 2017-2018. Undocumented Stories began as part of a storytelling project from the department of Education Beyond the Walls, part of Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.  This project has evolved over time to become “Undocumented Stories,” a project that gives voice to the men, women, and children who daily suffer under current U.S. immigration policies. 

Undocumented Stories connects and educates people through storytelling, a non-confrontational medium. The project explores the authentic human struggle of people seeking equality and human rights. As one undocumented woman states,

“We are not aliens we are human beings.  At the level of the heart, we are the same. We want the same things as you–a safe place to live, a future for our children, a place to work and contribute to society.”

More than one hundred handwritten stories have been collected, preserved, and translated into English.  They stand ready to be exhibited in traveling galleries for events. Interspersed with the handwritten stories, we also offer a gallery of immigrant photographs taken by professional photographer Kady Dunlap.

Finally, in addition to the gallery of photos and handwritten stories, we also offer live storytelling events (and optional video), in which five storytellers from the immigrant Latino community share their stories in front of a live audience.

When you hear and read these stories of what it's like to live as an immigrant in this country, you will be able to connect and better understand their struggles.