In New York City, immigration is often discussed through statistics, policy debates and political rhetoric. But behind every conversation about borders are people whose lives cannot be reduced to a single narrative.
The New York Proud public art campaign brings those individual stories into view, inviting New Yorkers to see immigration not as an abstract political issue but as a defining part of the city’s shared identity.
Developed by the New York Immigration Coalition, the campaign features portraits by documentary photographer Oscar Castillo alongside stories from immigrant New Yorkers.
The installation on Ashland Place in Downtown Brooklyn brings those portraits into a heavily trafficked public space where locals can encounter them in their everyday lives.
For Camille Adams, a Trinidadian-born writer, educator and memoirist featured in the campaign, participating was an opportunity to challenge the assumptions that often shape public perceptions of immigrants.
“There isn't one monolithic story, and we really need to resist, especially in the time of fascism, these narratives that are being purported about immigrants,” Adams said.
"These narratives that are being sort of propertied about immigrants and that speaking to a person and getting to know their why, not just their how or their when, but their why, gives you real insight into what is happening in that person's life and also what's happening around the world."
Adams, who writes poetry, fiction and memoir, incorporates migration into all aspects of her writing. Her own journey to New York was shaped not only by her education and writing, but also as she navigated family relationships and created independence.
She continues to write as a Trinidadian while embracing her identity as a New Yorker, understanding both places as essential to who she is.
“Home is both places," Adams said. "Home is Trinidad, home is New York, and the mixture of such, the amalgamation and the alchemization of such is a really beautiful thing to encounter."
That complexity is central to New York Proud. Brooklyn’s neighborhoods have been shaped by generations of immigrants whose businesses, families, cultures and traditions have become integral to the borough.
By placing immigrant portraits and stories in a shared public space, the campaign invites residents and commuters to encounter these experiences beyond the political debates that so often obscure them.
“Every portrait in New York Proud is about seeing people as they see themselves, with dignity, pride and a story that can’t be reduced to a headline or political debate,” Castillo said in the campaign’s press release.
"I hope seeing these portraits in public spaces creates a moment of recognition and reminds people that these individual stories are part of the larger story of Brooklyn.”
At a time when immigration remains a deeply contested subject nationally, New York Proud offers a reminder of what can be lost when people are reduced to political categories. New York’s identity has been shaped by generations of immigrants and it continues to evolve through the people who live, work, create and build community here.
The Brooklyn installation will be on view through Oct. 30.
To learn more about New York Proud, visit www.immigrantsareny.org.
