“Utah Immigration Through the Eyes of Emma Greally at Park City Library

Emma Greally is a photographer, author, and activist whose Art Exhibit will be on display at the Park City Library through November.

Her motivation to photograph this project in black and white was to highlight the issues of race and systematic discrimination that is deep-rooted in the current immigration debate. In her own words, “I believe that as a society, are faced with a binary, or ‘black and white’, choice regarding how we treat one another, wither with mutual respect and inclusivity or otherwise.”

Stop by and join the discussion by viewing her art, her book, and even sharing your own immigration story.   

Below are a couple of details from people in the Latino community, how she highlighted their immigration stories, and why they left their home countries to follow ‘The American Dream.’

KIARA LOPEZ, MEXICO

As you can see in the above photo, Kiara has the eyes of a true dreamer.

She put those dreams into action by coming to Utah from Mexico as an undocumented child speaking zero English, to pursuing her future as a social worker at Utah State University. 

Kiara works sixty hours per week between two jobs as well as being a fulltime college student. We can’t wait to see what wonderful changes she makes to the lives of disadvantaged youth and how she will be giving back to the communities in Utah that helped her on her grow. 

DIEGO ZEGARRA, PERU

Leaving his home in Peru 15 years ago, Diego has already helped and made countless strides to “amplify diverse voices and increase access for all.”

Diego is the current Social Equity Director for the Park City Community Foundation, where he helps increase equality and respond to social injustices. 

Helping innumerable amounts of immigrants in Utah nurture their American dreams, Diego is an aspiration to use all to increase educational opportunities and “include the voices of the community members they serve.”

DR. YOENY CALAS-DOBSON, CUBA

With only the clothes on their backs, fleeing the communist country of Cuba to the shores of Miami was no small feat for Yoeny and her family. It was all well worth it as you can now see her as a frequent guest spotlight on KUTV-2 known as “The Pet Diva.”

Yoeny’s special gift for animals thrives in Utah, as she is one of very few veterinarians who specializes in exotic animals. She has earned her doctorate in veterinary science and established River Woods Pet Hospital and Utah Counties first Pet Urgent Care Center. 

Her powerful story is an inspiration to us all, in her own words, “Work hard, work ethically, and all of your dreams can come true.”

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Make sure to go out and see her amazing photography in person and learn from many more Utahn Immigrants as they express their intimate and powerful stories of how they made their American dreams come true