Finding Their Voices, One Photograph at a Time

To provide a creative outlet for healing during the COVID-19 pandemic, Migrant Clinicians Network (MCN) worked with Latino communities in three rural Northern California counties and encouraged them to document their own lives during the pandemic with photos. In partnership with PhotoVoice in June 2022, MCN taught participants basic photography skills and hosted companion discussion groups to provide a safe place for open conversations. In one of their adult groups, participants often discussed racism encountered in the health care system and some spoke of undocumented people who had been denied the COVID-19 vaccine. At first, the participants were uncomfortable with the idea of COVID-19 vaccines, but as they processed deep mistrust of the health care system together through their PhotoVoice projects, they started to become more accepting and open. ”That was important to understand the views they had on vaccines” said PhotoVoice project staff member Robin Hayes. “That showed trust in each other. It showed that the process of Photovoice works.”

Funding for this effort is made possible through a subaward from the CDC Foundation and is part of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) financial assistance award totaling $2,500,000.00 with 100 percent funding from CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CDC/HHS or the U.S. Government.