The New Americans

Photojournalism feeds in recent years have been filled with dramatic and heart-wrenching images of immigrants and refugees fleeing their homelands and, for many, making a treacherous journey to a new life. But what about after those people reach a destination, after they have found some new level of freedom? In Des Moines, Iowa - the state's capitol and largest city - the public school district serves a diverse student body, with 60% of students being students of color, more than one out of four Latino, and more than 4,000 students born in a hundred different nations. With a changing demographic - and a harsh stance on immigration by the new administration in Washington, DC - the school district is doing more to support its immigrant and refugee students. One way is holding "Know Your Rights" forum for new immigrant families, providing them with information on various aspects of their legal rights and responsibilities. At the first such forum in February 2017, more than 250 parents and children attended a session in a middle school auditorium, one more step in their on-going journey to freedom.