"Migration is Beautiful"

Janet Weaver, Mujeres Latinas Project, Iowa Women's Archives in the University of Iowa Libraries

http://migration.lib.uiowa.edu/exhibits/show/about/mujeres-latinas-project

This database contains historical records such as letters, family stories, memoirs, and photographs to give us a broader and deeper understanding of the migration of Latinx people to Iowa. It is organized by tabs that have different sections of information in each. In one of the tabs, there is an interactive map with a sliding time frame bar to visualize the growth of Latinx communities in Iowa. This project is a helpful resource for anyone looking to learn about the Latinx community’s migration to Iowa as it provides a broad spectrum of information in one collective database.

There are no specific skills you need in order to make use of the data. To explore this project, you would need internet access/wifi and the basic knowledge of how to navigate a website. The site is very colorful, visually appealing, and easy to understand how to use.

Although general information about the migration of Latinx communities to Iowa can be found elsewhere on the internet, this project is unique because it has organized a variety of historical information into one place. Also, because the information was provided by the Iowa Women's Archives, this data might not have been accessible on the internet if they had not created this DH project.

There is no specific background knowledge needed in order to make use of this project. It provides a wealth of information that is clear, descriptive, and explained well. People who are more familiar with the topic would likely have an easier time understanding the historical documents, but anyone eager to learn would not need any particular skills or background knowledge.

I did not find any built-in accessibility features on this project’s website. A screen-reading application could possibly be used for interpreting the text from the website. Most pictures have captions, but people who have visual impairments would not be able to see those features. Also, both the interactive map feature and the photos of documents would be difficult for people with accessibility needs to make use of.

Favianna Rodriguez - Creator of the colorful butterfly artwork used for the website's banner. The title of her piece, "Migration is Beautiful" was used as the title and logo of this DH project.

Latinx families - Donated historical information (interviews, letters, photographs, etc.) of their family members to the University of Iowa Libraries for this project.

Creth technology development grant - Provided funding for the project.

Catherine Babikian, Alyse Burnside, Katie Gandhi, Mariana Ramirez (University of Iowa students) - Contributed and helped Janet Weaver (creator) with the project.

Staff of the Digital Scholarship & Publishing Studio - Website support

Robert Shephard and Ethan DeGross - Created the migration map

Five Twelve Creative - Website design

The Mujeres Latinas Project began in 2005. The "Migration is Beautiful" website was published in 2016.