The White House Gift Shop, Est. 1946

LIMITED & NUMBERED

Excerpt from the poem
Strawberry Fields:

"But memory is the fruit

that never ripens.

Only rots

louder."

A. F. Giannini

* * *

Strawberry Fields

Includes

• 1) 8" x 10" Artist's Signed, Numbered & Clear Framed Archival Print

• 2) Four Signed and Numbered 5" x 7" Original Art Archival Prints with Envelopes

• 3) Strawberry Fields: A Seven Prose Poems Sequence Migration from Ancient to Contemporary Times engaging readers in the history of migration and labor from prehistoric to present time by A. F. Giannini.

Signed, Numbered, and Printed on Archival Parchment Paper—an exclusive, personal, and unique work of literature and art created for discerning minds and collectors.

• 6) Certificate of Authenticity, and Artist's Statements


Memory and Conscience

The White House Gift Shop, Est. 1946, is honored to present Strawberry Fields an original poem and art card by futurist artist-poet Anthony Giannini. This offering invites readers and collectors alike to reflect on America’s long and complicated relationship with those who come here seeking freedom, dignity, and belonging.

The poem’s imagery is stark: families running through fields at dawn, strawberries crushed beneath their feet, “sweet blood on the earth that never stops feeding.” It is both an elegy and a call to conscience, reminding us that the fruit of memory does not ripen, but, as Giannini writes, “only rots louder”

The Legacy of the Dreamers

“Dreamers” are young men and women brought to the United States as children, among the most poignant heirs to this history. They have grown up as Americans, studied in our schools, served in our military, and contributed to our economy. To deport them would be to deny both their lived reality and America’s own moral promise. Like the generations of workers before them, enslaved Africans, indentured laborers, Japanese interned, Chinese railroad builders, and Dust Bowl migrants, they embody the truth that America has always been nourished, and at times shamed, by those whose sweat and sacrifice remain invisible.

Granting Dreamers protection from deportation is not a partisan question but a moral and constitutional one. The Founders themselves believed in a republic defined by reason, fairness, and the recognition of human dignity. To embrace Dreamers is to honor that tradition.

America’s Shifting Immigration Story

The United States has never had a consistent immigration policy. Instead, it has cycled between welcome and exclusion:

• Colonial & Early Republic: Immigrants, often poor or persecuted, were welcomed to settle and labor, though enslaved Africans were denied humanity altogether.

• 19th Century: Irish, Italian, andChinese immigrants filled railroads, canals, and factories—while also facing riots, nativist laws, and exclusion acts.

• 20th Century: Mexican braceros were invited to farm during wartime shortages, then deported when their labor was no longer “needed.” Japanese-Americans were interned during WWII despite citizenship.

• 21st Century: Migrant laborers harvest much of America’s produce, often under exploitative conditions, while their children grow up American in every sense but paperwork.

This contradiction, inviting labor while denying belonging has shaped every chapter of our national story.

Why Strawberry Fields Matters

Strawberry Fields and accompanying art capture this history in a haunting, universal way. The strawberry fields are not just farms; they are America’s memory fields. Beneath the fruit lies the story of exploited labor, forgotten contributions, and the resilience of those who “do not ask your name… take your sweat, your family’s bones, your silence”.

By offering Strawberry Fields, the White House Gift Shop continues its long tradition of combining art, history, and social conscience.

Strawberry Fields is an invitation for remembrance and renewal.

At its heart, America is not a fortress but a field, a place where generations have come to sow hope, reap dignity, and contribute to the common good. To honor Dreamers, to remember the ghosts in the fields, and to act with compassion is to remember ourselves.

Anthony Fileccia Giannini, 2025