California Story Fund
Invisible Men:
Listening to Immigrant Day Laborers in San Francisco
California Audio Arts
Oakland
Project Director: Julie Caine
Immigrant day laborers tell their stories
Everyday in cities across America, men from Central America and Mexico line up at day-labor sites hoping to obtain work. The men have become an integral part of the underground economy in this country, performing a wide range of physically demanding jobs — from hauling trash to demolishing structures — for a low wage. Typically, the men have entered this country illegally, endured arduous, and sometime dangerous journeys to get here, and speak very little English. Most have come without their families because of extreme economic necessity and live with other men in crowded rooms.
This project gave radio listeners a chance to hear the stories of immigrant day laborers in the Mission District of San Francisco. "What I wanted to do," said Project Director Julie Caine, "was give these men a human face. We see them in our cities, but we don't know anything about them. I wanted their stories to be heard."