About Our Project

Our project “Why They Leave” aims to dispel the the misconception that all immigrants come to the United States solely for the opportunity the United States provides. In reality many immigrants are simply fleeing unbearable or life threatening situations in their home countries. This project illustrates a handful of powerful examples of this phenomenon.

About the Tools

Allthe tools we used were free tools available to the public.

• WordPress.org (open source)
• MapBox
• Timeline.js
• Datawrapper
• Juxtapose.js

About the Data

All of the charts and graphs we used are available in embeddedable format at http://migrahackaz.leftwardthinking.com/datawrapper/. The source data and notes about it’s orgins is also available here http://migrahackaz.leftwardthinking.com/datawrapper/source.zip

More maps, graphics and other resources available here.

About our Team

Martin Mendoza – Martin is a freelance journalist originally form Hermosillo Sonora.

Josh Meyer – Josh is a linguistics student at the University of Arizona

Elizabeth Burden – Liz is a is a visual and media artist, as well as a consultant with 20 years of experience working with non-profit organizations, providing services in the areas of organizational development, strategic planning, program planning, curriculum development, and facilitation. She is also a GIST student at the University of Arizona.

Greg Epstein – Greg is a Tucson Community member with a limited programming background.