CENTRAL AMERICA
CUBA
It has been over four decades since Fidel Castro,
Che Guevara and their assemblage of revolutionaries
overthrew the Battista regime and installed
a new government in Cuba. Their communist inspired
plan was designed to free the poor and put in
place a new society that would rely on moral
incentives and people power. Since the demise
of the Soviet Union in the early 90’s,
Cuba led many observers to believe a rapid transition
to democracy was eminent. But led by the legendary
and enigmatic Fidel Castro, Cuba continues to
uphold its own brand of socialism and strict
public policy.
Even with the decades-old American embargo
in place, U. S. citizens are able to travel
to Cuba with a special license, but the island
nation continues to be unwilling to embrace
American foreign investment and politics. Many
older Cuban citizens remember the days of struggle
before the Revolution, and a few will speak
freely about the problems they are having now.
But as I have found in so many places, the people
make the place, and the pictures. The people
of Cuba love their country and respect its history,
its revolution and its beauty. No matter the
politics, the story of Cuba is truly in the
faces and the hearts of its people.
Early
morning, co-op farm in Pinar Del
Rio Provence, Cuba. |
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Hands
of farmer in cooperative tobacco
farm, Pinar Del Rio Province, Cuba. |
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Revolucion
mural, Havana Cuba. |
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Izalco
Volcano, El Salvador. |
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Squatters
village in San Bartolo, El Salvador. |
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Three
Crosses, Nicaragua. |
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NICARAGUA and EL SALVADOR
The other countries I have visited in Central
America; Nicaragua and El Salvador, also share
the same strength in character and in people.
Our neighbors to the south joyfully revealed
to me the dignity of family and community values,
and their willingness to fiercely defend their
land and community. They love their land and
respect each other as one family. As Americans,
there is a lot that can be learned from these
foreign lands, about the value of people to
each other and the world, even in the midst
of unrelentless poverty.
Click here to see if
there is a current exhibition of this series
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CIVIL
UNREST
In April 2001, angry protesters smashed windows,
set fires and looted stores for three days in
response to the fatal shooting of an unarmed
19-year old black man by a white Cincinnati
police officer. Police fired tear gas, beanbag
shotguns and rubber bullets to disperse protesters,
and more than 800 people were arrested for criminal
offenses or for breaking curfew. Timothy Thomas
was shot and killed as he fled down an alley
in the early morning hours of April 7. He was
the fourth black man killed by Cincinnati police
since November of the previous year. Cincinnati
police had killed 15 people since 1995. Three
were unarmed; all of them were black.
Man
in confrontation with Cincinnati
police officer, Central Parkway,
during April 2001 civil unrest. |
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Fanny
Stovall, from her apartment window,
15th and Republic, during civil
unrest April, 2001. |
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Man
with photo, 12th and Race Streets,
Over-the-Rhine, during civil unrest.
April, 2001. |
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Most of the disturbances, the public frustrations
of Cincinnati’s black citizens, were focused
in my neighborhood of Over-the-Rhine, where, as
a photographer and documentarian, I struggled
deeply with the things I witnessed. These photographs
are a document of that struggle, of what I witnessed
on the streets of my community on those dark days
of April, 2001.
Click here to see if there
is a current exhibition of this series
|
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SECRET
GARDEN
Secret Garden is a visual metaphor for an inner-city
neighborhood much vilified and maligned, especially
since the civil unrest of April, 2001. The August
following the civil unrest, when I began this
project, brought with it the lingering aftereffects
of a neighborhood demoralized by what had occurred.
Then came the events of September 11th. The
community reaction to that disaster was a mixture
of grief, fear and confusion.
Flower
with bee |
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Three
Sunflowers |
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Wildflowers
in lot next to Main Street |
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Sunflowers
in community garden, St. Paul's
Church in background |
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Sunflowers
in Peaslee garden |
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These photos are a personal representation
of my own experience with homelessness and addiction
and my struggle with the meanings and consequence
of the racial unrest and the violence and confusion
of world affairs. For me, the flowers that I
have photographed for the Secret Garden project
represent these many personal struggles. I know
the real beauty of Over-the-Rhine, hidden behind
the negative perceptions and media portrayal
of our neighborhood. In its buildings and people
I have found a close kept secret – a secret
garden of hope and strength. These pictures
are a joyful metaphor for survival and hope
in a sometimes hostile place.
This project took me on a journey into gardens
and vacant lots around my neighborhood of Over-the-Rhine,
photographing flowers, some growing wild and
some tended. The backdrop of neighborhood buildings
provide context for this exploration. The other
part of this journey was my personal exploration
of peace and understanding, of the beauty of
the many shapes and sizes and colors of the
flowers that also reflect the human make-up
of our neighborhood – our Secret Garden
of people and hope.
Click here to see if
there is a current exhibition of this series
|
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