“We are all Human Beings That Deserve the Same Opportunities as Everyone Else”: Immigrant Perspectives on Health in Southeast Minnesota: A Photovoice Study
Sage Journals Mar 2026
Using a Photovoice approach grounded in community-based participatory research and Public Health Critical Race Praxis, RHCP partnered with 14 Hispanic/Latino and Somali immigrant health promoters in Southeast Minnesota to document community assets, barriers, and health priorities. Through photographs and guided group reflection, participants shared lived experiences related to making healthy choices, maintaining cultural identity and inclusion, and accessing opportunity. Health promoters emphasized the importance of affordable and culturally appropriate resources, including community gardens, access to traditional foods, environmentally supportive spaces, and indoor recreation facilities that respect cultural and religious norms. Cultural connection, social cohesion, and the ability to pass traditions, values, and advocacy skills to younger generations were described as essential to health and well‑being, alongside efforts to counter social isolation, Islamophobia, and exclusion.
Participants also highlighted structural barriers shaping daily life, particularly limited access to stable employment, affordable housing, health care, and legal protections, with time management and competing demands further constraining opportunities for health. While many expressed pride, resilience, and commitment to self‑improvement, they described how immigration status, cost, and systemic inequities restrict access to services and upward mobility, often forcing difficult tradeoffs between work, family, and health. Together, the photographs and narratives underscored the intertwined nature of individual well‑being and policy environments, illustrating both the strengths of immigrant communities and the urgent need for immigrant voices to directly inform local decision‑making and health‑equity–focused policy action.