Reclaiming the Border Narrative collection

The Reclaiming the Border Narrative is a predominantly born-digital collection that includes visual art, text, video, and audio. It is a community-focused collection that centers the diversity and multidimensionality of experiences that transcend dominant narratives and counter externally imposed perceptions of life in the US-Mexico borderlands. The archive amplifies the creative and intellectual processes of artists, activists, journalists, and cultural practitioners dedicated to advancing migrant justice and a broader understanding of border communities. The voices, stories, and creative expressions represented in this collection belong to historically marginalized communities who have long endured exclusionary and extractive practices.

The collection documents the projects and activities of individuals and organizations that transcend colonial narratives and deficit-framed thinking about the US-Mexico border. Preserving and providing access to this material is an effort to address gaps in the archival record, facilitate greater self-knowledge and sense of wholeness for borderlands and immigrant communities, and offer fertile inspiration for future research, art, storytelling, activism, and policy advocacy for migrant and border justice.