Posted on Jan 16, 2023
How one photographer is using his camera as a weapon against poverty and racism
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https://www.npr.org/sections/pictureshow/2023/01/16/ [login to see] /devin-allen-against-poverty-racism-discrimination
Devin Allen got his first camera in 2013 — a Canon that his grandmother had purchased for him on credit from Best Buy. The self-taught photographer had begun exploring the form a year before, taking pictures of the poetry scene in his native Baltimore with a camera on loan from a friend.
That spawned an interest in the history of photography, particularly the contributions of Black photographers, that led Allen to study the work of the late Gordon Parks, who said "I chose my camera as a weapon against all the things I dislike about America — poverty, racism, discrimination."
Photography proved to be life-changing for Allen, who had felt powerless growing up in Baltimore and seeing his community struggle with many of the same socio-economic injustices that Parks had turned his camera on in the middle of the 20th century. As a young man, Allen saw how educational inequality, gentrification, violence, drugs, poverty and police brutality hurt his neighbors. He also lost several close friends to murder.
Devin Allen got his first camera in 2013 — a Canon that his grandmother had purchased for him on credit from Best Buy. The self-taught photographer had begun exploring the form a year before, taking pictures of the poetry scene in his native Baltimore with a camera on loan from a friend.
That spawned an interest in the history of photography, particularly the contributions of Black photographers, that led Allen to study the work of the late Gordon Parks, who said "I chose my camera as a weapon against all the things I dislike about America — poverty, racism, discrimination."
Photography proved to be life-changing for Allen, who had felt powerless growing up in Baltimore and seeing his community struggle with many of the same socio-economic injustices that Parks had turned his camera on in the middle of the 20th century. As a young man, Allen saw how educational inequality, gentrification, violence, drugs, poverty and police brutality hurt his neighbors. He also lost several close friends to murder.
How one photographer is using his camera as a weapon against poverty and racism
Posted from npr.org
Photography
Poverty
Racism
Discrimination
Baltimore
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 4
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel good day Brother William, always informational and of the most interesting. Thanks for sharing, have a blessed day!
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."While "No Justice, No Peace" aims to take readers and viewers on an emotionally charged journey, Allen said it was important that the book also highlight the importance of self-care and rest, both on the streets and in daily life. Too often, he said, people involved in justice movements — including himself — feel pressure to show up and fight day in and day out because they fear that taking a break will halt progress. But in the process, they frequently let their own needs and their right to live joyful lives fall to the wayside.
"The book is meant to be heavy. I want to make you cry, I want to make you sad. But I do want you to see the joy. I do want you to recuperate," Allen said, drawing on the message of Tiffany Loftin, a former student organizer, at the end of the book.
"There should never be a Black person in this country who feels guilty for taking care of themselves or for enjoying their life," Loftin writes, adding, "Strength is both resisting injustice and indulging in the magic of the world."
..."While "No Justice, No Peace" aims to take readers and viewers on an emotionally charged journey, Allen said it was important that the book also highlight the importance of self-care and rest, both on the streets and in daily life. Too often, he said, people involved in justice movements — including himself — feel pressure to show up and fight day in and day out because they fear that taking a break will halt progress. But in the process, they frequently let their own needs and their right to live joyful lives fall to the wayside.
"The book is meant to be heavy. I want to make you cry, I want to make you sad. But I do want you to see the joy. I do want you to recuperate," Allen said, drawing on the message of Tiffany Loftin, a former student organizer, at the end of the book.
"There should never be a Black person in this country who feels guilty for taking care of themselves or for enjoying their life," Loftin writes, adding, "Strength is both resisting injustice and indulging in the magic of the world."
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