Portraits of the Unheard

In the midst of the aftermath of the 2014 uprising in Baltimore, I was moved to do a photo series capturing the voices of African American men. I was inspired to give voice to the unheard--giving everyday people like myself, the chance to publicly speak on the social injustices we face as a community. Watching the riots on television was pretty scary and disappointing but I was even more shocked to see people come together the very next day. The same CVS Pharmacy that was in flames the night before had people gathered around it singing, praying and helping one another.  While roaming around the crowds on North and Penn snapping photos, of protesters, police in riot gear, tanks, and people riding by in cars cheering and chanting, an older gentlemen stopped me and smiled asking if I could take his picture--and of course I did. I showed him his photo and he smiled with a satisfaction that I didn't expect. And that's when it happened--I knew I had to keep going.