The Journey North: Exploring reasons behind migration to the U.S. from Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala

Questions for "Aqui Vivimos"

1. What are three factors that have led to Honduras’s current violent climate?
2. According to Relph’s article “Dispatch from Honduras: What Life is Like in the Murder Capital of the World,” what percentage of murders go unsolved in San Pedro Sula?
3. Again according to “Dispatch from Honduras,” by some estimates what percentage of US-bound cocaine passes through Honduras?
4.  Look through Bracco’s slideshows entitled “Postcard from Honduras: On the Eve of the Election” and “A Contested Election in Honduras.” What picture do these photos give you of life in Honduras? How is that picture different from, and similar to, what Relph describes in his dispatch? Why do you think the journalists chose to include these different representations of the country in their project?
5. This project has both strong writing and strong visuals. Which resonates with you more? Which do you feel is more effective at communicating both the emotions and the details of the situation in Honduras?
6. How are you connected to the people depicted in these articles and photographs?
7. What has been recent U.S. foreign policy in Honduras? What kind of aid does the U.S. give to Honduras? What impacts might these U.S. policies be having on Honduras?

Questions for "Chicago and Guatemala: Too Young to Die"

1. In just looking at the photographs, do you feel like any information is missing? If so, what are you left wanting to know?
2. Read Ortiz’s blog post “Guatemala: Meeting Michael.” When did the civil war end? What is the approximate annual murder rate in Guatemala since the end of the war? What else did you learn from Michael’s story?
3. The project title and description make clear the connection Ortiz is trying to illustrate in this project: that gun violence in American cities like Chicago echoes in Guatemala, and this violence strongly impacts youth in both cities. Do you feel like you can relate on any level to the American or Guatemalan people Ortiz documents here? If so, how? If not, why not?
4. What factors fuel violence in any city? What are some solutions to those problems?
5. Look through the photo slideshow “Legacy of Bloodshed Hangs Over Guatemala.” Ortiz shoots primarily in black and white. Do you agree with that stylistic choice for this particular project? Why or why not?
6. It is easy to draw the conclusion that most gun violence is gang-related. Why should we be careful when making assumptions like this? Why might it be important to examine the r oot causes of violence and the formation of gangs?

Questions for "Guerrero: The Monster in the Mountains"

1. Based on Black’s photographs, list five words you would use to describe Guerrero.

2. What is the poverty rate in Guerrero? What does that have to do with the challenges the state faces?

3. What emotions did you feel, or what thoughts did you have, as you clicked through Black’s photos?

4. What, if anything, did you know before today about the case of the 43 missing students in Guerrero? If you don’t have any context, what do you know about the case after watching the video? What conclusions can you draw from the information in the video?   

5. Is there hope in Guerrero?

6. Black writes that “over a quarter of Guerrero’s population has migrated to the United States.” Knowing what you know now about Guerrero, how do you feel about this?

7. In his “Meet the Journalist” video, Black says “This is a story of us as well, not just a story of ‘them’ somewhere over there.” What does he mean by this? Do you agree?