Critical Media Praxis in Justice Storytelling

Sonia De La Cruz^[1]i

Keywords: Critical Media Praxis; Advocacy; Collaboration

Introduction

“This place is worse than a prison. The food is terrible, not even the dogs would eat it.” (M. Almomani, personal communication, June 4, 2024). “It has been so difficult. I don’t know how to explain, I became really anxious and couldn’t stop crying” (E. Hurren, personal communication, August 8, 2024). “I was detained for 28 months… it was traumatic, it led to consequences mentally, emotionally, and physically” (I. Arrascue, personal communication, August 1, 2024). These quotes are part of the testimonios^[2], or testimonies, shared by people who have experienced immigration detention at the Northwest Detention Center (NWDC) in Tacoma, Washington. The testimonios are part of the Melting ICE exhibit, a community-engaged, arts-based project for justice produced to support the advocacy efforts of La Resistencia^[3] (the resistance). La Resistencia is an immigrant-led grassroots organization based in Tacoma, Washington, that has fought for fundamental changes in the U.S. detention and immigration system since its founding in 2014. The organization is comprised of the people detained at the NWDC and community organizers working outside the facility in support of detainees and their families. Their advocacy has greatly centered on making visible the experiences of people in detention; an organizing mechanism to raise awareness about human rights violations as they fight to shut down the detention center and end deportations in Washington State. As a public art exhibit, Melting ICE was designed to support La Resistencia’s ongoing advocacy; specifically, to amplify testimonios of detention, generate public awareness about the inhumane conditions they experience, and prompt change leading to the release of those incarcerated at the NWDC.

A Critical Media Praxis (CMP) was employed in the production of the Melting ICE exhibit. CMP is a newly designed framework that supports community-engaged, advocacy-driven, arts-based storytelling projects for social justice. It is a framework that links creative practice with critical perspectives about the experiences of people and communities to develop projects for social action. Like photovoice, which employs photography and storytelling to share participants' experiences and foster critical consciousness-raising (Wendel, et al., 2019; Lykes & Scheib, 2015; Catalani & Minkler, 2010; Wang & Burris, 1997); CMP is an action-oriented framework that centers stories of lived experience to encourage change through collaborative engagement.

In what follows, the article presents the critical media praxis framework to understand how it supported the development of the Melting ICE exhibit. It provides the context for producing a public project in support of La Resistencia and describes how the framework was used to democratize power relations among collaborators, through dialogue and reflection. It further highlights the use of testimonios in the construction of short stories that present the experiences of people detained and explains how particular creative choices were employed in the design of the exhibit. Finally, the article concludes by offering evidence of the public impact of the exhibit.

Context

Melting ICE^[4] is a public art exhibit conceived as a tool for the advocacy of La Resistencia. Their organization is a “multi-racial, multi-status, multi-gender group that organizes across the prison barrier to shut down the Northwest Detention Center (NWDC) to end all detention and deportations in Washington State” (La Resistencia, 2026). The detention center is owned by the GEO Group^[5] and operates under contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) (Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, 2026). Today, the NWDC is considered “one of the largest immigration detention centers in the nation” (Bernard, 2017).

On a regular basis, La Resistencia organizes and holds actions for detainees and their families outside the fence of the NWDC. Its facilities are located on the tideflats of the city of Tacoma, now part of city’s commercial port, and has been deeply impacted by environmental hazards. For decades this region has suffered from industries dumping toxic chemicals contaminating the surrounding air, water, and soil (Rice, 2005). In fact, the location of the NWDC has been designated as a Superfund^[6] site by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the people detained in its facilities suffer the consequences of the environmental contamination of the region.

Over the years, La Resistencia has shared the experiences of people detained at NWDC, which expose inadequate conditions of incarceration, including, unsanitary food and laundry conditions, allegations of medical and psychological neglect, use of solitary confinement, inferior health standards, sexual assault and abuse, use of force and chemical agents, among others (“Conditions at the Northwest Detention Center,” 2026). At the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, people’s testimonies revealed the incremental and dire conditions faced in detention. Some shared: “Medical care is terrible, and guards don’t wear masks. I have asthma, I am scared they’re gonna give me the virus and don’t take care of me^[7].” “I have started hunger strikes. We are finding things in the food, like metal, hair. The place is filthy… you see feces on the wall next to where we eat” (A. Ahmadreza, personal communication, July 7, 2024). In subsequent years, detention conditions have not changed much. In fact, detainees report worsening conditions.

Meanwhile, the political climate in the United States saw an increase in the racialization of anti-immigrant rhetoric, the rise of legislation deterring undocumented immigrants from settling in the country, and the incremental funding of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and private prisons (Montoya Andrade & Serrano, 2026). By 2024, La Resistencia experienced one of its longest hunger strikes, lasting nearly four months with the participation of people within and outside the detention center. It coped with the death of two people whose lives were lost while in detention and witnessed an increase of human rights violations, which captured the attention of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights who began a formal investigation of the NWDC in October 2024 (IACHR, 2026). It is within this volatile and uncertain social and political environment, coupled with deteriorating conditions inside the detention center that the Melting ICE project was conceived, planned, and produced.

Scholar Practitioner’s Stance

This article is written from the perspective of the lead scholar practitioner of the Melting ICE team. I identify as a U.S.-born Mexican American Mestiza womxn, who is bilingual, bicultural, working in academia as an Associate Professor in Media Studies and Media Practice. My posture as a scholar practitioner recognizes my own experience in labor and community organizing, which informs my research and desire to use my knowledge and academic privilege in support of people and communities considered to be historically at the margins.

The Melting ICE exhibit, however, represents the commitment and passion of a team with diverse identities based on race, ethnicity, gender, language, socioeconomic background, religion, age, immigration status, and education. This team of 10 included academics, college students, digital artists and members of La Resistencia, who met on a weekly over the course of 2024. Our collaboration included building a community of practice through trust; where listening with intent allowed us to reflect, debate, and question decisions, as well as examine our own perspectives in connection to the content and production of the exhibit.

As author of this article, I want to note that CMP is a framework I have developed to meet the scholarly, creative, public engagement and advocacy-driven projects I undertake as an academic. It reflects my interest and expertise in qualitative methodologies for research, action-based strategies for community engagement, and experience in documentary film and non-fiction video production carried out for over a decade. I have found that the CMP framework is fitting for collaborations with people and communities who historically have been at the margins. Therefore, the framework requires close engagement to bring collaborators to the center of the work and collectively move toward social action.

Centering Critical Media Praxis

Critical Media Praxis (CMP) is an arts-based, advocacy-driven framework that supports the development of storytelling projects that center social justice. It is committed to critical paradigms, such as feminist, decolonial, and social justice approaches to education that emphasize the analysis of power, privilege, and prevailing inequalities that hinder possibilities for change. Since the framework supports creative arts endeavors for change, it considers the impact creative practice can have in designing the final work. In other words, it values the process of ‘doing’ collaborative work and treats creative practice as a mechanism for addressing stakeholder needs. Therefore, CMP takes into account the way art or media tools and techniques are used in shaping creative projects for justice.

CMP is informed by trans-disciplinary literature from different fields that support analysis, reflection and action in service of stakeholders. The framework employs qualitative and action-oriented methodologies to historicize research and ground justice-oriented projects. Document analysis and participatory action research provide connections between historical, political, economic, and social-cultural context and formations that help inform practices in research for community action, especially with communities that have been systematically excluded or oppressed (McTaggart, 1997; Kindon, et al., 2007; Tilman & Salas, 2009). Feminist theory supports the examination of power structures, privilege and oppression, and utilizes practices that recognize lived experience as part of agency and empowerment (hooks, 2003; Gonzalez, 2018). Similarly, decolonial pedagogies are a useful reference because they encourage community engagement as a knowledge-building process and treat stories and storytelling as a way of speaking truth to power (Sium & Ritskes, 2013). Also, methods such as photovoice, use visual mediums like photography with storytelling to share participants' experiences and foster critical consciousness-raising (Wendel, et al., 2019; Lykes & Scheib, 2015; Catalani & Minkler, 2010, Wang & Burris, 1997).

The initial process for developing the exhibit required those of us not directly connected with La Resistencia, develop a base of knowledge about the private prison system and the detention experience. It also warranted we learn about the history, advocacy and organizing carried out by La Resistencia to determine the approach and tone of the exhibit. As we began to work as a team, we built a community of practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991) that encouraged collaboration in the many aspects of constructing the exhibit. We met on a weekly basis, devised ways to contribute to the work of the exhibit by drafting a community agreement, and we shared our perspectives and expertise – a process that legitimized our knowledge and experience as equally valuable among collaborators. For example, as an academic I made clear my positionality to explain my aptitude in research, media-based storytelling projects, I shared my background in labor organizing and recognized my privilege as a U.S. citizen who is not directly affected by detention. Significantly, I recognized my inexperience in the kind of abolitionist-oriented organizing La Resistencia performed.

La Resistencia shared their knowledge related to their undocumented experience and explained the type of organizing they do against the mass incarceration of people due to their immigration status. Their expertise was coupled with qualitative methodologies, such as historical research and narrative inquiry, which provided a clearer picture of the immigration detention system and private prison corporations. We also identified ways systemic oppression was institutionalized at the Northwest Detention Center (NWDC). Israel Arrascue, a Peruvian man who was detained for 28 months at the NWDC, and later deported, provided his testimonio to explain how the detention center’s systemic oppression operates. He explains:

When it comes to immigration, it’s a joke. The second you get there [detention center], how they treat you, they make you feel or look guilty for a crime that you supposedly have done. But not just that, they tell you to get a lawyer, which costs money. Deep down they know that you will not be released. It’s the reality. It’s a trap. Not many make it out of the center…. I told myself that I need to fight. I need to fight for me to be able to get out, but the truth is that the system was created to abuse us (personal communication, August 1, 2024).

Through feminist perspectives of agency that value lived experienced and recognize peoples socially situated capacity for action, our team was oriented toward a human-centered practice that valued testimonios as a form of resistance. Our task with the exhibit was to present these testimonios to unpack the complexities of detention experience through a lens of dignity and agency toward collaborators. At times, this meant a willingness to step out of our comfort zone when we were presented difficulty stories, such as those connected to physical or mental abuse. Manhal Almomani, originally from the United Arab Emirates, describes an incident of physical abuse on an occasion when food was withheld from detainees:

This place is worse than a prison. On May 27, 2024, I told officers there were no trays for food and they began laughing at us. They told me I was going to segregation, but I refused to go…they threw the pepper canister. I was burning everywhere, the gas damages my lungs, and when I breathe it burns. I was not given the medical attention needed. I want to fight my case with the Convention Against Torture because my life is in danger. They have blocked numbers on the tablet, they are monitoring my calls (personal communication, June 4, 2024).

The testimonios offered by Israel and Manhal illustrate the punitive treatment thrust upon the detained. It reveals how people are systemically disempowered and silenced through physical punishment. Their testimonios also demonstrated there was zero accountability toward abusers.

As we negotiated which testimonios to select for the exhibit; ultimately, the final story selection was left to La Resistencia because they were frequently in contact with people in detention. This meant they would know if anyone needed to withdraw from the project due to potential retaliation while incarcerated or if the release of their story might impact their case for release.

Critical media praxis leans on arts-based justice education for the analysis and construction of narratives and counternarratives as emancipatory practice for social change (Bell, 2020; Ledwith, 2001; McKenzie-Mohr & Lafrance, 2016). In our work of editing testimonios into short stories, we wanted to present aspects of detention experience to raise awareness about the oppressive environment people face. In doing so, we moved away from framing stories that only described moments of detention and that might reinforce dominant discourses of illegality or criminality immigrants frequently associated with in mainstream media. Instead, we approached the construction of stories hoping to portray people as full humans, with dignity, who have endured trauma and hardships, but who also hold on to hope.

The stories produced for the exhibit contain statements of physical and mental abuse. As we listened, read, and edited stories, team members who were not part of La Resistencia gained tremendous insight into the hard work the organizers perform. We understood that their commitment to detainees was far beyond that of being advocates. They are also supporters, friends, informal therapists whose commitment is beyond showing up to protest the detention center. Understanding the deep connection and commitment of organizers helped focus our work. We recognized that our task in sharing stories was purposeful in that it needed to make visible human rights violations, material and symbolic, suffered by detainees. But also, as a way of centering people’s voice, we felt a responsibility for sharing their desire for remediation due to their incarceration. This, we felt, was a way to let detainees share what justice meant to them. Elvia Castañeda Barragán’s story reveals her desire for change and a future beyond incarceration. She shares:

My vision for change in this country is that there wouldn’t be detention centers anymore, so that no one would have to suffer as a spouse or a child of someone who is detained. No one should be separated from their families. We all just came here for a better future for our kids. I want to tell the immigrant community that even if you don’t have a family member in detention, you shouldn’t wait to support people until you’re facing the problem for yourself. We can all come together and do something.

The stories offered in the exhibit, are intentional and political in that they draw on people’s experience and introspection to articulate a point of view that is empowering (Blackmer Reyes & Curry Rodríguez, 2012). Our team drafted testimonios into short stories and constantly questioned our decisions on how to frame them. We did not want to distort collaborators intended meaning, or recount stories in a way that created binary thinking such as us/them, empowered/disempowered. Centering collaborators agency meant having the opportunity to discuss stories with them and edit as needed; but when this dialogue was not possible, we aimed to present stories like Elvia’s, that could articulate the struggle and possibilities shared by collaborators, that way, we hoped to remain authentic to their beliefs and experience.

As we worked on the content of the exhibit panels, we also began to discuss the visual design. Creative practice through the Critical Media Praxis (CMP) framework encourages reflection, deep intentionality and accountability in representation. CMP is informed by the literature and theories in non-fiction documentary film production that examine the construction and ethics of representation (Nichols, 2001). This includes approaches and practices related to audio-visual composition and aesthetics (Bernard, 2022), editing and post-production techniques (Bowen & Thompson, 2017). These kinds of tools to produce non-fiction works, are a reminder that as creators or producers, we must aim for authenticity in visual representation.

The panels for the exhibit address various aspects of detention connected to the ideas of struggle and remediation. The written short stories are paired with illustrations that present a larger picture for how collaborators experienced detention. We aimed to design meaningful stories that held emotional resonance; to do this, it was important to present elements such as, collaborator’s place of origin, scenes of their detention, incarceration, protest, and in a couple of instances, family reunification.

Rufina Reyes Amates is the current director of La Resistencia. Her story elucidates the kind of self-determination she was unwilling to give up after her brother was apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). She explains:

I became part of the leadership of La Resistencia after my brother was detained by ICE for two months, but thankfully, he was released. To this day, I still think about how I began as a volunteer and then became part of an amazing team. I believe that someone must advocate for people detained, which is what I am doing. I believe everyone deserves to be free. We deserve to be seen as human beings and as citizens, not as animals in cages. Our main focus is to shut down the center. (R. Reyes, personal communication, July 25, 2024).

We had many conversations with Rufina while drafting her story. Producing and designing it was a unique experience because she was part of the exhibit team. Rufina’s story reflects the moment we collaborated with her, which was one where La Resistencia was withstanding a series of difficult situations, such as the death of detainees and a strenuous hunger strike that challenged their community organizing and advocacy in many ways. As such, Rufina’s story articulates strength in the face of adversity. Her story disrupts the narrative that represents undocumented immigrants as people who are powerless and living in the shadows. Emphasizing her journey as an advocate for detainees, reflects a larger collective experience of those who sustain family separation due to immigration detention.

The quote “we deserve to feel like we belong,” accompanies the artwork created for Rufina’s story. It calls attention to one of the most human of desires, to be part of a community, to feel wanted, and helps forge a sense of community with those who might feel pushed to the margins. Rufina also wanted to ensure that her artwork contained monarch butterflies since they have come to symbolize human migration and freedom in the fight for immigrant justice. The symbolic butterfly, in fact, accompanied all exhibit panels, along with flowers and bright colors to help provide some degree of emotional levity to the difficult stories presented. Aesthetically, we decided that the exhibit should feel like an extension of La Resistencia’s existing public image and digital presence. We emulated much of the visual style and color scheme already used by the organization. In this way, the work of the exhibit felt connected to the advocacy, organizing drives, and actions they already carry out.

Community Engagement with the Exhibit

The work of the exhibit provided an opportunity to develop new community partnerships. In December 2024, we organized an inaugural event meant to educate the public about the inhumane treatment of people in detention, and to invite them to support La Resistencia. The event was attended by nearly 200 people composed of friends and allies of the organization, but also, by a new sector of the public that included academics, allied labor and community organizations, and public servants. The inaugural event proved successful in creating an interest in hosting the exhibit in different spaces and cities across Washington State and Oregon.

We also began to collect community responses to gauge the impact of the exhibit. Members of the community have responded in the following way: “Being aware of this [the NWDC] brings a big sense of grief and anger. I stand in solidarity with people kidnapped and detained.” “The stories are powerful. We, as a country, a people, need to know this is happening and how horrific it is.” “It has motivated me to do more on behalf of immigrants who are in resistance of ICE.” The community responses reflect the general discontent and discomfort people feel when confronted with a reality presented in the exhibit.

Melting ICE has been successful in leveraging dialogue and raising the community’s awareness about detention experience and the existence of the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma. Next steps are to continue strategizing around presenting the exhibit at different locations, locally and statewide, in the hope of growing a larger constituency of support to La Resistencia.

Final thoughts

Through a critical media praxis, the Melting ICE exhibit provided our team with an opportunity to deepen creative practice for justice. Our close engagement, collaborative decision-making based on dialogue and reflection supported the possibility of presenting stories that emotionally resonated with community members. In this sense, the exhibit has been successful at achieving its original goal of raising awareness about the experiences of people in detention. The work of building community in support of the abolition of the Northwest Detention Center and actual remediation to detainees continues to be part of the ongoing hard work for La Resistencia. Their advocacy and will to continue the fight demand continuity, renewal, and responsibility toward transforming the inhumane reality of people detained. The collective hope of the Melting ICE exhibit team is that those who experience the exhibit, or those who have taken the time to read this article, may feel a desire to support La Resistencia to free them all.

Author Information

References

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Notes

1. i School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences, University of Washington, Tacoma. Corresponding author: [email protected]

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2. The historical Latin American use of testimonios is used instead of its counterpart, testimonies, to denote the type of narrative that centers a person’s experience as valuable knowledge and as ab expressions of resistance (Blackmer Reyes & Curry Rodríguez, 2012).

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3. La Resistencia website: https://laresistencianw.org/

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4. The Melting ICE public art exhibit was supported by Re:Generation, a 2024 Monument Lab grant, supported by a Mellon Foundation initiative. Link: https://monumentlab.com/projects/regeneration-2024-melting-ice

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5. The GEO Group is a leading private correction and detention company that develops, owns, and manages prisons, jails and residential reentry centers for governments worldwide.

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6. Superfund site is a hazardous waste area, generally where manufacturing facilities, processing plants, landfills and mining sites are located, and are designated to be a risk to human health and the environment due to contamination. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2026). https://www.epa.gov/superfund

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7. Personal communication, 2024, by Elvia C. Barragán. Elvia’s husband did not want his name published.

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