When I (Kimberly) started WHi, I knew that many Americans were unaware of the positive impact immigrants have on local economies, but beyond sharing data and research, I didn’t have a way to communicate with large audiences. I needed a practical way to show everyone the ways internationals are uplifting our city. That’s when I met Mike Chavez. 

 

Hello everyone! I'm Mike Chavez Esquivel. I come from Mexico, and I'm the Art Director in my multidisciplinary advertising media business. I joined the project because it seemed like a great idea to me as a person from another country, supporting Kimberly in the Graphic Direction and consulting part of this great project.

 

The two of us met at the University of Memphis’ English program and worked together on a magazine entitled Roots of Memphis, where English language learners from around the world wrote about maintaining their heritage within the US setting. Many of them interviewed others who shared a similar cultural heritage, but had been in the US longer. From this project, I (Kimberly) got to see Mike’s work in action, and, later on, approached him about doing something similar but for business owners. 

 

We know that issues surrounding immigration and relocating to a new country are heavy, complicated, and very personal no matter your point of view. Our hope is that Voices of Memphis can be a place of introduction through stories, and that viewers can meet and support Memphians they may not otherwise encounter in daily life.