Yehimi Cambrón’s Atlanta Murals Tell Stories of Immigration and Community

By Mary Welch

Last Updated September 22, 2026

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At a Glance

• Yehimi Cambrón is a Mexican-born Atlanta artist and muralist whose work explores immigration, identity and belonging.
• She came to Atlanta from Michoacán, Mexico, at age 7 and grew up undocumented before becoming a DACA recipient.
• Her murals across metro Atlanta celebrate immigrant communities and tell stories of resilience, dreams and belonging.
• Explore seven of Cambrón’s murals in Atlanta, Hapeville and Decatur.
• Her work connects Atlanta’s immigrant communities, civil rights history and the city’s future.

Almost one-quarter of the metro Atlanta population is Hispanic, and with it come so many incredible stories to tell. Yehimi Cambrón Álvarez is one of them, given her talent as an artist and muralist. Cambrón came to Atlanta from Michoacán, Mexico, when she was 7 years old. She grew up undocumented and has been a DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipient since 2013. Her works explore the realities of being undocumented and reveal how the Hispanic community, especially those who are undocumented, can — and should — claim a rightful place in Atlanta’s society.

Cambrón earned a bachelor’s degree in studio art from Agnes Scott College, which was fully funded by the Goizueta Foundation. After years of teaching, in 2019 she became a full-time artist and was named a 2023 Fellow of the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans to support her master’s of fine arts at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Take a Tour

Explore Atlanta while visiting some of Cambrón’s most iconic murals.

“Monuments: Atlanta’s Immigrants“

Located at The Home Depot Backyard at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, “Atlanta’s Immigrants” tells the story of immigrants who have deep roots in Atlanta. Whether it is a student or a father immigrating to give his children a better life, Cambrón’s aim is to “push back on stereotypes and show that we are all connected to each other as a community. We are an integral part of our communities, our city and state. We’re not going anywhere. It’s an assertion of our presence,” she said.

“We Give Each Other the World“

“We Give Each Other the World” was funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and the city of Hapeville. Located near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the 100-foot tall and 60-foot wide mural symbolizes those who came from around the world to get a better life. Children look up indicating their hopes and dreams for a better future while being supported by loving hands and surrounded by sunshine and butterflies. Train tracks and an airplane show the importance of transportation to the city and to those coming here from around the world.

“Freedom Fighters”

“Freedom Fighters” was made possible by the Atlanta Super Bowl Host Committee and WonderRoot. Located on the wall of the American Hotel Downtown, the mural quotes Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: “If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” Cambrón remembers being in third grade and not speaking English but singing “We Shall Overcome” in English while on a school trip to the King Center. She believes current Hispanic activists can learn much from the Civil Rights Movement. The mural is a “great bridge to talk about civil rights and the fight for social justice as it applies to Atlanta and for generations here,” she said.

“Monuments: We Carry the Dreams”

“We Carry the Dreams” was commissioned by the Atlanta Super Bowl Host Committee and WonderRoot. This mural is located in the shadow of Georgia State University and the Georgia State Capitol. With the red and white stripes of the American flag as a background, the mural shows a variety of immigrants, especially young people, who “refuse to let their immigrant status stop their dreams,” Cambrón said. Not only are they carrying their own personal dreams but also those of their parents, grandparents and all those who came before, she said.

“Here to Stay”

“We often have people tell us to go back to our countries because we don’t belong here,” Cambrón said. “Here to Stay” is bilingual and features a monarch butterfly that represents the thousands of miles the monarch flies and gets stronger as it flies north. Half of the butterfly’s wings are pages of a book indicating that education is liberation.

“Mi Gente”

“Mi Gente” depicts the stories of everyday individuals that make up the Latinx community, especially on Buford Highway. The mural is a project of the Neighborhood Initiative and Atlanta History Center and was produced in partnership with Freedom University, the Latino Community Fund, the Latin American Association, NCG Cinemas, Northeast Plaza and Plaza Fiesta. There are several themes depicted in this mural including education, labor, gender, political advocacy and the activism of Dreamers, like Cambrón. “I worked with the community to figure out how we communicate our history and the complexity of our community,” she said.

“Monuments: Our Immigrant Mothers”

The artist created this mural to honor the strength and diversity of women in immigrant communities. The mural is marked by her signature combination of immigrant portraiture and the migrating monarch butterfly. Three women in front of flowers and cacti represent and honor immigrant mothers who “carried us on their backs to provide a better life for their children,” Cambrón said. “Our Immigrant Mothers” is a tribute to the resilience of immigrant women who faced challenges in order to create a home for their children.

To learn more about civil and human rights, visit the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in downtown Atlanta. Meet other Latin Muralists in Atlanta.

Mary Welch is an award-winning writer who has reported on the maturity off Atlanta’s culinary and hospitality scene as well as its growth as a sophisticated international city. Her byline has been seen in local and national outlets such as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Travelgirl, Global Atlanta, and American Lawyer covering topics such as travel, business, cars, law, hospitality and education. She co-authored a book with Chuck Leavell, the keyboardist for the Rolling Stones and a Georgia tree farmer, on the future of the American forest.

Originally Published September 21, 2026