De Saisset Opens New Exhibit

Photographs share stories of migrant workers, gangs

Maura TurcotteTHE SANTA CLARAApril 14, 2016IMG_2142

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]hrough words and images, author and photographer S. Beth Atkin has long focused her lens on social justice issues as varied as the plight of migrant farmworkers, gangs and, most recently, guns. Now, the de Saisset Museum highlights Atkin’s work in a thought-provoking exhibit simply titled “Bear Witness.”

The show, which opened on April 8, features photographs, interviews and poems from Atkin’s three published books. The pieces reveal the optimism and strength of human existence, even in the midst of struggle.

Originally a freelance photographer from New York City, Atkin took interest in California after her cousin told her about the stories of migrant farmworkers in Salinas Valley. The fertile area, dubbed the “Salad Bowl of the World,” has a large foreign-born population—close to 40 percent, according to the 2014 U.S. Census. 

With plans for a book, Atkin moved across the country to California to begin her research, hoping to portray farmworkers in a new light with her photographs and interviews.

“Most information about migrant workers I found did not celebrate the closeness of families, the intense hard work they did daily, the goal parents have or the ability to improve their children’s lives,” Atkin said. “I wanted to document young people who would work in the fields or move numerous times, and still manage to attend school and programs that helped them graduate from high school and go on to college.”

Atkin said that she thinks most people take the stories of the people who pick our crops for granted and hopes that this exhibit will provide more information about their lives.

In 1993, Atkin published “Voices from the Fields: Children of Migrant Farmworkers Tell Their Stories.” However, as she worked on the book, she encountered another issue she wanted to understand: gangs.

She explored the gang-violence in Salinas and larger cities like Los Angeles and Miami. Subsequently, Atkin published “Voices from the Streets: Young Gang Members Tell Their Stories” in 1996.

“The purpose and message of this book was to show how and why people join gangs and how they got out,” she said. “I wanted to present the people that helped gang members change their lives and leave their gang.”

And once again, during her research for the book, Atkin discovered an interest in another controversial issue. This time, she focused on guns. As a result, she set out to collect stories from across the country, aiming to present both sides of the weapons debate.

“Gunstories: Life-changing experiences with Guns” was published in 2006.

“Adults make the laws and voice their opinions about gun use, but kids are dramatically affected by guns–by both the good and bad they bring to their lives. In this book, as in my others, I think it’s only fair to hear what young people have to say–as they are our future,” Atkin said. “I feel that listening to voices of young people is vital to addressing social issues that affect all of us. And educating youth is often the best way to implement change.”

The de Saisset Museum was eager to share the exhibit, believing it incorporated values of the university.

“‘Bear Witness’ brings together three very important issues and ongoing conversations. As a museum and a university dedicated to social justice, it made a lot of sense to bring all three bodies of work together to help our community examine these escalating conversations,” said de Saisset Museum Director Rebecca Schapp in a press release.

The exhibit will be on display until June 12.

Contact Maura Turcotte  at mturcotte@scu.edu or call (408) 554-4852.