STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- After his father died in Mexico, Annadale resident Cesar Vargas remembers coming to America at the age of five.
“My mother, like any other mother seeking better opportunities for their families, decided to take one of the greatest risks that many other people have taken throughout American history, which is risk everything and go up north,” said Vargas in the premiere video of “Staten Island’s Huddled Masses: An Immigration Storytelling Project," unveiled by Move Forward Staten Island on Saturday.
Vargas is one of three Staten Islanders who tell their families’ immigration stories in the first installment of the series.
“Our work is grounded in our belief in the profound power of storytelling," said Julienne Verdi, chair and founder of Move Forward Staten Island, who addressed the crowd of approximately 75 people at Persist and Prosecco, a cocktail party fundraiser held on Saturday at Enrichmint in Tompkinsville.
"When we engage Staten Islanders in legislative advocacy we have always centered that advocacy around personal stories because we believe that’s not only how we’ll move policy forward, but also how we’ll change Staten Island hearts, minds and culture,” she added.
The series was launched at a time when there is great debate in the nation about immigrants coming to America.
“We keep hearing, ‘My grandparents came here legally, why didn’t yours?’” said Verdi. “Hearing things like that is what inspired the video series. I say to people ‘Do you know they came here legally for a fact?’ In the film you see that my grandfather was a Sicilian immigrant who jumped ship and didn’t come here the legal way. A lot of people don’t know their family’s history.”
Staten Island Huddled Masses aims to preserve and showcase Staten Island immigration stories and put a human face to the immigration debate. The premiere film features three Staten Islanders whose families came to the country to pursue the American dream.
In addition to Vargas, Leela Mathew of Manor Heights, a first generation immigrant from India and Vincent Verdi of Great Kills, whose father immigrated from Italy, appear in the video.
The film is now available for public viewing on the organization’s website, www.moveforward.nyc.
The film was developed and produced by Move Forward Staten Island, and was filmed and edited by Projectivity, a Staten Island-based 501c(3) not-for-profit organization which offers education, resources, and opportunities to anyone interested in pursuing media and the arts. Move Forward Staten Island is seeking donations to build upon the premiere film.
The organization raised more than $5,000 at the Persist & Prosecco fundraiser, which will be used to support the organization’s operations, public programming, as well as the Staten Island Huddled Masses project, said Verdi/
Councilwoman Debi Rose (D-North Shore), Assemblyman Charles Fall (D-North Shore), and Public Administrator Edwina Martin were in attendance at the premiere event.
The organization aims to record additional short interviews with Staten Islanders from all walks of life to talk about their family’s immigration stories.
Staten Islanders interested in sharing their family’s immigration story should contact Move Forward Staten Island at info@moveforward.nyc.
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