First Generation Americans are native born citizens of the United States with one or both parents being foreign born.
As the face of America consistently changes and the ideology surrounding immigration constantly shifts, let's take a look at the faces of First Generation Americans.
Below are Millennial First Generation Americans, born from early 1980s to early 2000s. These are the faces of the future of America and they are all born of immigrants.
“The U.S.-born children of immigrants make up 11.7% of the nation’s population”
As a First Generation American the clash of your parents' culture and the city and ideology of present day America is a constant struggle. In a more creative experiment, I projected each participant's respective flag over them as well as a statement they hand wrote. Representing being fully consumed by the culture of their parents, it effects their voices, their morals, how they see the world and how they choose to live out their daily decisions. Participants also brought items that they felt represented their connection to their parents' home country, as well as their own home country of the United States. (Hover your mouse over each image for more insight.)
"I feel like when the civil war was happening you never knew what was going to happen and so making sure you made time for family was important. We always have huge dinners with our Lebanese side of the family. Growing up they (my parents) made that a big part of our life, to go and celebrate with everyone, like birthdays or Eid. It was just a good way to grow up." - Miranda, 22 | Lebanese American
