Flowers on the Inside

Flowers on the Inside is a project imagined by undocumented artists, featuring undocumented artists, that provides a counter narrative to the cruel images we are bombarded with in the media. From deplorable conditions inside detention camps, devastating ICE raids, an uncertain future for DACA, and the mass shooting targeting immigrants in El Paso, recent stories and images have reinforced a constant state of fear, pain and degradation for undocumented communities and families. Flowers on the Inside uplifts a narrative that inspires hope and connection, recognizes our humanity, and centers compassion. Its purpose is two-fold: to ensure that people inside detention know that there are undocumented people and allies on the outside who are in solidarity with them, and to provide an outlet for those on the outside to reach through the walls that divide us. Through the Flowers website, people wrote messages of love, support and solidarity to someone currently in immigration detention. The cards were printed and distributed by Casa Arcoiris, a Tijuana-based organization that brings together community members to write letters to detainees in U.S. detention camps, in addition to providing shelter, food, and services to LGBTQ+ people as they migrate. While we’ve closed down the website's message feature, we encourage you to organize a postcard writing party in your area. Download and print the images via the website or get in touch with Julio Salgado at julio@culturalpower.org to receive blank postcards. Flowers on the Inside is made possible through a partnership between the Center for Cultural Power, Casa Arcoíris and Forward Together.