Brooklyn International High School, International High School at LaGuardia Community College, and Manhattan International High School, NY

Sometimes invisible, working in back kitchens and factory lofts, New York City's immigrant workers have stories to tell, of heartbreak and accomplishment. Sixty students at three of the city's small public schools for newcomers set out to gather these stories, through interviews and photographs. They will be published in the Fall of 2005 in a book called Forty-Cent Tip: Stories of New York City's Immigrant Workers (Next Generation Press).

The narratives and images collected by the students mean the world to them, and it shows. They tell of relatives, friends, and neighbors who are recent immigrants like themselves, and for whom the American dream often remains just that. Sometimes for the first time here, parents have spoken to children of their disappointments and hardships. No matter how bitter their experiences, their words also ring of hope, persistence, courage, and love.

Final Products Six of the stories with photos (1 mb PDF) Interview with one of the students

Many of the students who carried out this project have been in this country for only a year or two, which makes their work all the more impressive. As they sharpened their interview skills, worked their cameras, translated and transcribed their taped interviews, and then turned them into narratives, their commitment to the project only deepened. At each school, students and teachers proudly exhibited their photographs and stories for all to see. More quietly, they sorted through the lessons they had gathered about justice and equity in the American workplace.

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