Green Card Stories (Umbrage Books) is a collection of profiles and photographs of fifty immigrants from around the country by journalist Saundra Amrhein and photographer Ariana Lindquist. Amrhein has been a journalist for seventeen years. She spent ten years at the St. Petersburg Times (now the Tampa Bay Times.) Immigrants profiled include a triathelete, a magician, a flea market worker, small business owners and executives.
Under the Sun host Alicia Zuckerman interviews Amrhein, along with Cleto “Sundy” Chazares, a former migrant worker whose family was based in Wauchula,Florida. He’s now the principal of Simmons Career Center in Plant City, Florida. He was recently honored as the Hillsboro Counselors Association High School Principal of the Year.
Amrhein discusses why she wrote the book and how she balanced journalism with advocacy. She describes some of the immigrants from Florida profiled in the book, including Nelly Boyette. Here’s an excerpt:
Nelly Boyette made an odd pair with husband, Jeff. She was an undocumented immigrant from Peru with a mind for business. He was a Florida native who worked hard and carried a radio with a bumper sticker advising foreigners to speak English. After the two met at a flea market where they both worked and fell in love, they didn’t realize the uphill battle they faced convincing immigration authorities that their relationship was real.
EVENTS
Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012: Sandra Amrhein will be at a panel discussion and book signing at University of Miami School of Lawin Coral Gables from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012: A conversation and book signingwith Saundra Amrhein and Tomas Castellanos (profiled in the book) takes place at Books & Books Coral Gables from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
