above: (left) Khurram Nomani moved with his family from Karachi, Pakistan, in 1985. (right) Alicia Calixto came to the U.S. from Puebla, Mexico, in 2004.
Photography by John Moore
There’s exciting news to share about “We Are Stamford: Immigrants in the City that Works”, the photo exhibit that opened last year at Building One Community, the nonprofit center on Shippan Ave. dedicated to providing comprehensive resources to local immigrants. The 50 photographs highlighting 25 Stamford success stories taken by Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist John Moore will travel soon to the Government Center and to Stamford Hospital after a summer sojourn at the Ferguson Library.
“This exhibit celebrates the strength and resilience of those who leave their homes to seek opportunities in a new land. It portrays immigrants as they truly are—courageous individuals engaged in work they are deeply passionate about, building one strong community and generating economic growth,” says Elena Perez, executive director at B1C.
Moore, a Stamford resident and special correspondent for Getty Images, is the author of “Undocumented: Immigration and the Militarization of the US-Mexico Border” (powerHouse books 2018). He has received numerous professional accolades, including a Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award and World Press Photo of the Year, and has covered immigration issues for nearly two decades.
“For many years now, I’ve had the privilege of photographing within immigrant communities in the United States and abroad. What’s often missing from media coverage is the longer-term story of how people, once here, integrate themselves, educate their children, and build this country, often literally,” says Moore, who worked on the project pro bono.
A book of the same name is also newly available this month, which will preserve these impactful profiles for current and future readers.
“What I value most about this project is the tangible legacy it creates for future generations,” says B1C board member and editor of the book, Ellen Williams. “My hope is that 100 years from now someone will open up the pages of the book and learn about the lives of Stamford residents at this time in history and that they will come to appreciate just how many diverse people from all walks of life were able to live and work together.”
Get a sneak peek of the project in the three excerpts here.
For more information on exhibit dates and to purchase the book, visit b1c.org. Follow Moore @jbmoorephoto.
Adriana Molina
Age 56, born in Medellín, Colombia
Today, Adriana is a sergeant in the Stamford Police Department and head of its Behavior Health Unit.
Back in Colombia, Adriana’s family probably didn’t think the little two-year-old in their midst would become a respected police officer and advocate for the underserved. When her parents brought the family to the United States to obtain medical help for her brother, Adriana began to dream. She says, “When I was growing up, there were three things I wanted to be: a nun, a nurse, and a police officer. My mom told me that women can’t be police officers. The nursing school I attended told me to drop out—I couldn’t be a wife and mother and still do nursing school because that was too demanding. And, well, I got married and had kids so that took care of becoming a nun!”
“We’re a big melting pot here and we’re all accepted.We can all learn from each other.”
Adriana Molina
Adriana did, in fact, become a police officer—at age 37. And she is passionate about her role as head of the Behavioral Health Unit, whose mission is to provide follow up and resources after officers have responded to a mental illness call. She says that her unit performs many visits to people who are isolated, homeless or depressed. “We are proactive in the community. We talk to individuals, drop off blankets and toiletries, bring services to them, and, more importantly, get to know them. It’s been gratifying. We are also able to participate in many community outreach events. It’s nice to see that Stamford supports a police department that helps the community—and looks like the community it serves.” The city of Stamford embraces everyone: “We’re a big melting pot here, and we’re all accepted. We can all learn from each other.”
Her belief in Stamford’s inclusivity reflects her values. Sergeant Molina’s commitment to serving the underserved underscores her inner empathy and her desire to make a difference. Even as she plans for the future, transitioning to nursing after she retires from the police force, Adriana’s spirit of service remains unwavering. She embodies the essence of a faithful community caretaker enriching lives and spreading positivity wherever she goes.
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Reginald Boursiquot
Age 46, born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Today, Reginald is an artist working a day job as a home health aide.
Haiti is my paradise,” says Reginald Boursiquot. “It is a tradition when a baby is born, to bury the umbilical cord in the soil and then plant a tree there. So you are forever a part of that earth, that land. You are always a part of Haiti.”
“But Stamford is a nice, nice place,” Reggy adds. “I can walk a long way at night and never feel scared. That is a really good feeling.”
“I came to B1C with no English.They helped me learn the language,they helped me train for jobs, they helped me with a lot of other things.I am sincerely grateful.”
Reginald Boursiquot
Having trained in an art school, Reggy arrived in Boston in 2015 to be part of a painting exhibition at the Haitian consulate office. That exhibition never happened, and the political situation in Haiti made it too dangerous to return home. Reggy’s mother was already living in Stamford and his six siblings were also in the U.S., so Reggy decided to make his new home here. It was hard. He had left behind his wife and child. He says, “I had to start over. It is so crazy how one day you are a professionally recognized painter making a good living and suddenly everything you have worked for has no value. You have to start from the bottom again.” He reminisces how much Building One Community helped him. “I came to B1C with no English. They helped me learn the language, they helped me train for jobs, they helped me with a lot of other things. I am sincerely grateful.”
Reggy dreams of a future in which he is an accomplished artist who is able to make a living. He has made a start—two of his paintings were included in an art exhibition at the Stamford Government Center. In the meantime, Reggy is looking at all the possible job options that might give him enough freedom and independence to live his dream.
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Maria Cecilia Catilo Asnis
Age 42, born in Manila, Philippines
Today, Maria is a doctor specializing in endocrinology and obesity medicine in the Stamford Health Medical Group.
Maria Asnis was five years old when her family decided to pick up and change their lives forever in the United States. The family landed in Virginia, where Maria grew up as a typical American girl, loving school, making friends, and taking piano lessons. Her parents did not focus on the sacrifices they had made starting over in a new country. Instead, they set out to fulfill their American dream, believing that you can be anything here. Maria now lives that dream.
“I was proud to bea part of this project, which gives immigrants in Stamford the recognition they deserve and highlights how we contribute to every aspect of our community’s rich culture, business landscape, overall well-being and vitality. ”
Maria Cecilia Catilo Asnis
As a doctor, Maria has always focused on having a community-based practice. She cares about serving the people around her and she saw in Stamford various tight-knit immigrant groups. “This is a city of immigrant communities,” she remarks. “You feel it. For a pretty big city, Stamford feels small. And I see them all—every kind of person from all over the world. It’s wonderful.”
Dr. Asnis holds on to core principles that are deeply embedded in Filipino values around the importance of compassion, community, and fairness—not always an easy feat in the American healthcare system. Because she ensures that all patients are provided with the utmost kindness and respect regardless of their backgrounds, Dr. Asnis is a sought-after physician.
With children of her own and a devoted husband, Dr. Asnis now balances being a proud American with being a person rooted in the Filipino culture. She says, “I try to preserve a lot of the culture by talking to my young children about it, and through food. There is an expression in the Tagalog language—‘blood knows blood’—which means your roots never leave you. My kids really feel that.”
Maria’s extended family joined millions of others who have made their way to the U.S. Today Filipino Americans make up the third-largest Asian American population, after Chinese Americans and Indian Americans. Maria notes: “There are definitely quite a few Filipino nurses and doctors right here in Stamford!”
SAVE THE DATE
B1C’s 9th Annual Colloquium “Deconstructing an Immigrant’s Journey
and the Forces That Shape It”
Tuesday, September 17 at The Village, 4 Star Point