During President Obama's commencement address at Morehouse College, he delivered a personal and moving speech. Among many strong points, he highlighted the importance of honesty, over cleverness or a full bank account. He talked about being advocates for each other, rather than guiding our actions solely for self-benefit. I remember him saying, " Use (your) power for something larger than yourself... Be sensitive to the wrongs, the sufferings, and the injustices of society. And be willing to accept responsibility for correcting (those) ills.” I had a moment of reflection and clarity, not just in school and my artwork, but in my life as a whole.
Am I using my power for something larger than myself?
First of all, I'm 22. So, it's a scary question. But I've been thinking about it a lot lately, much of it stemming from recent Facebook and social media posts and debates I've witnessed as I scroll down my news feed. I mean, people can be so hateful and close minded. As a young white woman who grew up with little money, a single parent, all the while being surrounded by alcoholism/addiction, sure I've faced a few adversities, but not nearly as many adversities as a black or latina woman who struggled through the same experiences would. This has been influencing my Photography Thesis work heavily, as I feel that my response to Obama's question is to use my voice to amplify the voices around me that have been silenced and stifled. As an ally and a photographer, it's my responsibility to tell these stories, not just my own. I have a platform that I can use to spread a message, why wouldn't I take advantage of that.
"Part of it is addressing privilege. My response to knowing I have privilege is to say, how am I going to use that to make sure that people that are not in the same seat, can be heard.... We should want to be having these conversations." -Kristin Howerton
So ever since watching his speech, I spiraled down the rabbit hole of youtube and found myself re-familiarizing with a black scholar/lawyer by the name of Kimberle Williams Crenshaw. She coined the term, intersectionality, which refers to the study of overlapping or intersecting social identities and related systems of oppression, domination or discrimination. The theory suggests that oppression is experienced in various configurations and degrees of intensity. There are many, many, many factors, i.e. gender, race, class, ability, sexual orientation, religion, caste, age...! I realize more and more everyday how we aren't going to make any progress without looking for systemic solutions.
Nature, in a similar way, is a "realm of complexly interwoven relationships, a filed of subtle interdependencies," as said by David Abram in his book, The Spell of the Sensuous. " In John Muir's words, no single phenomenon can be picked out without 'finding it hitched to everything else,.' The character of an individual fruit tree simply cannot be understood without reference to the others of its species..."85). We cannot understand one without the other.
"Success may not come quickly or easily. But if you strive to do what’s right, if you work harder and dream bigger, if you set an example in your own lives and do your part to help meet the challenges of our time, then I’m confident that, together, we will continue the never-ending task of perfecting our union."
-Barack Obama
Am I using my power for something larger than myself?
First of all, I'm 22. So, it's a scary question. But I've been thinking about it a lot lately, much of it stemming from recent Facebook and social media posts and debates I've witnessed as I scroll down my news feed. I mean, people can be so hateful and close minded. As a young white woman who grew up with little money, a single parent, all the while being surrounded by alcoholism/addiction, sure I've faced a few adversities, but not nearly as many adversities as a black or latina woman who struggled through the same experiences would. This has been influencing my Photography Thesis work heavily, as I feel that my response to Obama's question is to use my voice to amplify the voices around me that have been silenced and stifled. As an ally and a photographer, it's my responsibility to tell these stories, not just my own. I have a platform that I can use to spread a message, why wouldn't I take advantage of that.
"Part of it is addressing privilege. My response to knowing I have privilege is to say, how am I going to use that to make sure that people that are not in the same seat, can be heard.... We should want to be having these conversations." -Kristin Howerton
So ever since watching his speech, I spiraled down the rabbit hole of youtube and found myself re-familiarizing with a black scholar/lawyer by the name of Kimberle Williams Crenshaw. She coined the term, intersectionality, which refers to the study of overlapping or intersecting social identities and related systems of oppression, domination or discrimination. The theory suggests that oppression is experienced in various configurations and degrees of intensity. There are many, many, many factors, i.e. gender, race, class, ability, sexual orientation, religion, caste, age...! I realize more and more everyday how we aren't going to make any progress without looking for systemic solutions.
Nature, in a similar way, is a "realm of complexly interwoven relationships, a filed of subtle interdependencies," as said by David Abram in his book, The Spell of the Sensuous. " In John Muir's words, no single phenomenon can be picked out without 'finding it hitched to everything else,.' The character of an individual fruit tree simply cannot be understood without reference to the others of its species..."85). We cannot understand one without the other.
"Success may not come quickly or easily. But if you strive to do what’s right, if you work harder and dream bigger, if you set an example in your own lives and do your part to help meet the challenges of our time, then I’m confident that, together, we will continue the never-ending task of perfecting our union."
-Barack Obama