Riding Up Front, Immigrant Stories of Rideshare Drivers and Passengers From All Over the World

Riding Up Front (RUF) is a wonderful non-profit art blog that shares wonderful immigrant stories as told by drivers and passengers of rideshare services such as Uber and Lyft with illustrations provided by artists from all over the world.

RUF founder Wei-En Tan, who is also an immigrant, spoke about the project with the Huffington Post.

“By creating art and telling stories, we can show people that we are not ‘the other,’ we are humans…If I can change one person’s mind about all immigrants being here to take jobs away from Americans, I would view that as a win.

I was scheduled to meet with the Philippine Trade Representative in LA to discuss possible business expansions in the Philippines. I was mostly going in blind for this meeting except for a stint of haphazard googling a few hours before our meeting. Julián, my Uber driver, was a slim and young Hispanic. He was extremely soft spoken, seemed shy, yet he was quick to ask questions about what I was doing. When I told him I was going in without any prep for my meeting, he relayed a story about a college business class he had taken, and how he had (very successfully) winged the final presentation with his friends. “Maybe that’s the best way,” he claimed. “No prep. Wing it. Just dress up.” #activistart #ridingupfront #immigrantstories #uberdriver #ridesharing #sharingeconomy #nobannowall #resist

A post shared by Riding Up Front (@ridingupfront) on

I was dead tired after a long flight, and ready to crash, but the moment she drove up in a brand new Honda Civic, I picked up on Aurora’s strength and energy. “What do you do?” I asked her as she beamed at me. “I’m in the military,” she responded. “Staff Sergeant.” “How the heck do you have time to drive for Lyft?” I asked. Apparently, Aurora didn’t…sleep. She claimed she needed only four hours every day. “We’re going to live well, my family and me.” “How?” “Saving. People don’t understand how to save money in this country. It’s so simple. We work hard, and I save all our money.” “Wow. You’re an inspiration,” I told her. I wasn’t lying. She shook that off. “I’m gonna teach my daughter to save. And I’m gonna teach her how to work hard and study hard. But you know what’s most important, Ma’am?” “What?” We rolled to a stop at a red light. Aurora turned to me, and said, very softly, “Most of all, I’m gonna teach my girl how to love. And love hard.” ??????? More stories like this at ridingupfront.org. #activistart #ridingupfront #immigrantstories #uberdriver #ridesharing #sharingeconomy #nobannowall #resist

A post shared by Riding Up Front (@ridingupfront) on

via Huffington Post

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.

Recent Posts