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letterboxd · 4 years

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Locked In.

The director of new documentary Spaceship Earth on snark, queer cinema, the survival of our species, and the ten films he’d take into a biosphere.

In 1991, eight people entered a vivarium to conduct a two-year experiment on whether humans could become fully self-sufficient inside a closed system on this—or any other—planet. Calling themselves the Synergists, the small collective, led by a charismatic chap named John Allen, had backgrounds in theater, art, science and business, and they became media superstars for a short period of time.

With much of the world sheltering in place in cramped apartments, many of us can only dream of being locked-down inside a human-scale terrarium complete with lush gardens, creative friends and a cook as inventive as Biospherian Sally Silverstone. Biosphere 2, which still stands on a ranch in Arizona, looks really inviting right now.

But there are complexities, tensions and controversies in an experiment like this, as documentarian Matt Wolf explores in his new film Spaceship Earth, which blends fantastic archive footage and present-day interviews to bring those two years to light.

Biospherians (left to right): Bernd Zabel, Taber MacMullen (top) Mark Van Thillo, Jane Poynter, Linda Leigh, Roy Walford (middle), Abigail Alling and Sally Silverstone (bottom) posing inside Biosphere 2 in 1990. / Photo courtesy of NEON

Wolf talks with Letterboxd’s editor-in-chief Gemma Gracewood about the lessons we can learn from the Biospherians amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, the ten films he’d take into a biosphere with him, and the dangers of ignoring young people.

How (and where) are you during this pandemic? Matt Wolf: I’m doing well. I’m in my living room in the Lower East Side of New York, where I am every day, and I’m doing okay because I'm throwing myself into this film release. It’s been a real relief to have something to do instead of just reading the news and being trapped at home. The timing is uncanny, but I’m seizing the moment. I’m very happy to be participating and doing lots of virtual events and promoting the film so that people will watch it, because I hope that it will give some perspective for what we’re going through.

That’s the next obvious question: how did your work on Spaceship Earth prepare you for this extraordinary moment, and what advice do you have for those of us sheltering in our own tiny biospheres? It’s funny. My producer Stacey Reiss says the Biospherians were in their world for two years; we were in our filmmaking bubble for two years, too. And so, we could relate in that way but we never thought we would relate so vividly to that experience. And I think, you know, talking to the Biospherians, something that they relayed was that it really was a transformative experience, because they were responsible for creating their own atmosphere, for producing the food they needed to eat, and they really couldn’t take anything for granted—even a breath of fresh air. So when they came out they felt a renewed connection to the larger world, and a different sense of responsibility and consequence for their actions.

I hope that in some ways we all feel transformed by this experience, and it allows us to engage with the world in a different way, because we’re going to have to think and act differently now that we really understand in a visual sense how fragile the world really is.

The exterior of Biosphere 2. / Photo courtesy of NEON

Yes, it feels like the Earth is breathing. It’s such an interesting time. Yeah. I think we need to make a connection between climate change and what’s happening now. If we don’t change how we behave, the threat of long-term catastrophe is inevitable. Not to take this to a dark place, but it’s true.

From a filmmaking perspective, we’re living in a time where, with social media and smartphones, we are creating our own content every second of every day. One thing that’s endlessly fascinating about archive-based films like yours, is how lucky we are to have had people—who were not necessarily filmmakers themselves—document these extraordinary experiences. What was it like when you first started diving into that footage? I’m actually always on the lookout for stories that have a strong basis in archival material that can help activate them and bring them into the present. I was certainly determined to tell this story; it was extraordinary and I knew there was a great deal of media coverage. But when I went to meet the Synergists at their ranch, I was brought into this temperature-controlled room that had hundreds of 16mm film canisters, analog video cassettes, thousands of images; it was astonishing that they had had the foresight to not only document what they were doing but also to preserve it in such a meticulous way.

To me it was an indication that they recognized that what they were doing was history, but also kind of poignant because nobody had taken an interest in that archive and tapped into it, so it felt like an incredible opportunity, but also a responsibility as well. It would have been a much less potent film had we not had that material as well as the video diaries that Biospherian Roy Walford shot inside.

For me, it is unprecedented to be able to tell a story—particularly a story with so many narrative twists and turns—that has archival footage that covers literally every beat of the story. I don’t expect that to happen often in my filmmaking career! This was an extraordinary situation.

Biospherian Linda Leigh and tourists. / Photo courtesy of NEON

Okay Matt, you’re heading into the Biosphere, with no internet, and you can only take ten films with you. What are the films that you’d pack to take? To help you choose, we’ll give you some guidelines. What’s the movie you’ve watched the most? I would say the movie I’ve watched the most, ever, is Todd Haynes’ movie Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story. It was a movie made with Barbie dolls about Karen Carpenter’s life. I have just watched that movie over and over and over again, and it’s a bootleg movie because the Carpenter estate suppressed it. It’s one of those things made of lore, in which people exchanged low-quality file transfers, and I got my hands on a high-quality restoration recently. I love showing it to people who haven’t seen it, and it’s a total joy to watch that movie. That is the movie that I would definitely need to have access to if I could never see anything again.

Can you name a favorite documentary; one that has meaning for you? Every once in a while I watch this documentary that really is in some ways my favorite. To me it’s like taking a bath to watch this film, a bath for my brain. It’s called A Skin Too Few: The Days of Nick Drake. I’ve only been able to find it on YouTube; it’s not in distribution. I’m a fan, but the film is just made in such a delicate and visually precise way. It represents the type of filmmaking that I really love. It’s seemingly straightforward as a documentary, but I think in its subtlety it is really just a soothing and absorbing film.

What’s the film you’d take to entertain your fellow Biospherians on a Friday night? One of my favorites from when i was a kid that I think would be fun to watch on a Friday night is Troop Beverly Hills. If you want just like cotton candy, that would be my version of that.

Shelley Long and her Wilderness Girls in ‘Troop Beverly Hills’ (1989).

A film for the inevitable long, lonely, insomniac nights? If I was feeling depressed and lonely, and like really leaning into those feelings of isolation, maybe like Fassbinder’s Ali: Fear Eats the Soul. I remember that as being a film that was at once devastating but also comforting. Just about human connection and human alienation. I just think it’s so deep and true.

What about a film that you like to impress people with because of the way it looks, or makes you feel? One of my favorite movies that I just love to show to people because it’s so amazing—well, there’s two that fit into that category, movies that are fun to show people because they are unbelievable and true. One is Hail the New Puritan by the artist Charlie Atlas. It’s a documentary about Michael Clark, a kind of punk ballet dancer from London in the 80s, who collaborated with Leigh Bowery and The Fall. Charlie, the filmmaker, made it in the model of A Hard Day’s Night, the Beatles vehicle, and it follows this gay punk ballet dancer on his nightlife and pseudo-celebrity adventures through 80s punk London.

And then my other film that is too good to be true is A Bigger Splash [the 1973 Jack Hazen documentary, not the 2015 Luca Guadagnino feature], which is a similarly constructed documentary about David Hockney that feels like a fiction film staged with all the characters from his orbit during the height of his popularity in swinging London. It’s such a great depiction of an artist’s life and it’s completely baffling how the filmmaker was able to generate such access and to construct a film that feels so dramatized.

What film has had the biggest impact on you, whether for its meaning or for its execution? One of the films that had a big effect on me and that I really think the communal experience is central to, is Derek Jarman’s film Blue. He made it when he was dying of AIDS and it’s a lush soundscape with a kind of like non-linear stream of thoughts coming from Derek Jarman, and a beautiful soundscape, with material from Brian Eno. It’s a feature-length film where the screen is just blue. Every time that film screens in the cinema, I take the opportunity to go because it’s almost a religious experience. A cinematic religious experience. I feel really moved by it but it also is something to share with other people, in an unusual way.

And a film that’s stuck with you since you were young? American Family—the documentary series that gave birth to reality TV. In the 1970s Alan and Susan Raymond made this epic PBS cinema-vérité series that followed this upper-middle-class San Diego, Californian family. In one episode, their son Lance Loud moves to New York and is living at the Chelsea Hotel and his mum comes to visit and he comes out of the closet. It is a unique, different world, many of the Andy Warhol superstars are there. It [felt like] the first time a gay person had appeared on television and the drama unfolds over many episodes.

It was this huge controversy, people thought they were disgusting and perverse for putting their lives on television like this, but it also is kind of mundane and boring, just like a lot of the early cinema vérité, but it really laid the groundwork for what would become reality television, except it’s not constructed for the camera in the way that we expect these shows to be. I like watching serialized family stories like that, and this is the foundation of it.

What’s a recent queer film you’d take in with you? There’s this movie I was obsessed with. I just thought of it the other day: Saint Laurent, by Bertrand Bonello. It came out a few years ago and it’s a completely narcotic, kaleidoscopic biopic, and I think it’s so rare that biopics actually inhabit the psyches of their famous protagonist and that the actors don’t just feel like they’re doing pantomime. This film really captures not only the disintegrating psychology of Yves Saint Laurent, but also the context of the gay subcultures of Paris in 1970s and the 80s. It’s this super-vivid depiction of subculture, but through a very narcotic lens. I just was obsessed with that film. It’s not really considered ‘queer film’, I think it’s more considered a biopic, but to me it’s one of the more interesting depictions of queer culture in recent years.

Gaspard Ulliel as Yves Saint Laurent in Bertrand Bonello’s ‘Saint Laurent’ (2014).

And finally, a fond, family-viewing memory? I always loved Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. I mean, I wouldn’t say it’s one of my favorite films but every time I see it, it’s like, “Oh, I get why I was obsessed with that as a kid”. I love the visual world and Gene Wilder is so bizarre and a little creepy. If you look at it as an adult there’s something kind of perverse about it, but I love a kind of analog fantasy world! So that film is, you might say, delicious.

You could say Spaceship Earth is a kind of analog fantasy world—the Biosphere itself is a living fantasy. I’m interested to know what you’d say to younger film lovers of today about what they might get out of seeing these avant-garde theater-makers-turned-Biospherians of yesterday? This film is more targeted towards younger people. I feel like there is a certain cynicism amongst adults that completely discounts young people and their ability to reimagine the world in creative ways. This is something I really dealt with in my film Teenage, the history of the invention of teenagers: adults always try to control young people. They corral the inventiveness of young people and the languages that they speak and invent. Young people all fight back, trying to define the world on their own terms, and this is really a film about a group of people who came together in their 20s and decided to reimagine and redefine, literally, a new world. There are all sorts of forces of establishment that tried to stop them and question and discount them.

We live in a world that’s pretty cynical and brings a lot of skepticism to people who try to do things differently, and I think as a 20-year-old you might see yourself in the idealism of these unusual people. Don’t you think that’s true? That, like, 20-year-olds aren’t as snarky and cynical? I feel like 20-year-olds are earnest and sincere and idealistic. Maybe I’m out of touch, but that was my experience and part of what I’ve observed in other young people.

I just feel like that ‘snarkiness’ that is often represented in the media is the cynicism that comes with the bitterness of life experience. And when you’re young and don’t have hardships and disappointments that have maybe hardened you with a certain kind of cynicism, it is possible to think more expansively and more optimistically about the world. We really need to tap into that energy. It’s not really helpful at this moment to, I don’t know, to shoot down anyone who’s trying something new. I hadn’t thought about that, but I'd be really curious what young people think of the film.

That’s a useful perspective, and makes me think of how, over the last couple of years, we have seen so much grassroots activism from young people, and now with the global lockdown there’s been a quieting of the youth climate movement, at least out there on the streets. You’re totally right. It was this big loud wave of activity and now with the pandemic it has really been washed over. But what they're talking about is long-term consequences, and if we don’t address the underlying issues that have related to the collapse of our society as a result of uncontrollable environmental factors, the survival of our species is threatened.

Related content

Matt Wolf’s 10 Films for Quarantine on Letterboxd

20 Films for Earth Day 2020

10 Great Space Science Films

‘Spaceship Earth’ is available for virtual screenings and on streaming services now. Our thanks to NEON.

#matt wolf #spaceship earth #biosphere ii #biospherians #john allen #documentary #queer film #queer filmmaker #letterboxd #NEON #virtual screening

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asfeedin · 4 years

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15 famous and inspiring photographers

Walker Evans influenced Robert Frank. Eugène Atget inspired Berenice Abbott. Alfred Stieglitz mentored Paul Strand. Invented in the 19th century, photography is a relatively young medium, but its brief history has been shaped—at least in part—-by the relationships that form between artists and generations. Up-and-coming photographers stand on the shoulders of their predecessors; they borrow their ideas, and they reinvent them.

For emerging and established artists alike, revisiting the work of renowned photographers can provide motivation and foster fresh innovations. In this article, we revisit ten of history’s most important and talked-about photographers, and we also take a look at five outstanding photographers who are part of the 500px community today. Read on for your daily dose of inspiration.

Sally Mann (1951-present)

Though she was already an acclaimed photographer at the time, Mann became a household name in the early 1990s, when she released Immediate Family, a collection of photographs of life with her three children in the rural landscape of the Virginia hills.

Featuring childhood adventures, nosebleeds, and wet beds, the book and exhibition revealed a hidden side of family life, rarely depicted in art. She’s returned to the book throughout the years, providing timely insights into the changing and shifting nature of American childhood in this day and age.

She has also revisited her own family—including her husband Larry—as model, muse, and inspiration, and her home in the Southern United States has served as both a backdrop and a main character in her more recent photographs.

Although her subject matter might have evolved, Mann’s raw and compassionate approach to family, memory, and the inevitable passage of time has become an ever-present theme.

Browse her photographs here.

Learn more about Sally Mann: Listen to her NPR interview, “Making Art Out Of Bodies: Sally Mann Reflects On Life And Photography”.

Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004)

A co-founder of Magnum Photos and pioneer of street photography, Cartier-Bresson preferred never to use flash and used 35mm film in lieu of large or medium formats. His legacy revolves around what he called “the decisive moment.” Cartier-Bresson reasoned that if a photographer could witness the moment he wished to capture, it was already too late to photograph it. Instead, Cartier-Bresson focused on learning to read social cues and hone his intuition in order to capture moments as they happened.

Browse his photographs here.

Learn more about Henri Cartier-Bresson: Read this scan from the MoMA library, complete with text and images.

Gordon Parks (1912-2006)

As Life magazine’s first African American staff photographer, Parks documented some of the most important moments in the American Civil Rights Movement. He had access to the movement’s leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, and he also shared the stories of everyday families living in the United States—from Harlem, New York to Mobile, Alabama in the Jim Crow South.

Parks’ photographs told personal stories, but they also transcended barriers and changed hearts and minds throughout the nation. Though he wasn’t formally trained, he made a permanent mark on the history of photography; before he reached the age of fifty, he was already considered one of “the most influential image makers of the postwar years.” As he told The New York Times in 1997, “I’m in a sense sort of a rare bird. I suppose a lot of it depended on my determination not to let discrimination stop me.”

Browse his photographs here.

Learn more about Gordon Parks: Read I AM YOU: Selected Works, 1942–1978, published by Steidl.

With a focus on conservation, Burkard has braved some of the most remarkable—and inhospitable—landscapes on earth, from the remote and unnamed beaches of Iceland to the bone-chilling waters of Norway. With a passion for water and surfing, he’s traveled with scientists, engineers, sailors, and more—all with the intention of educating the public about the beauty, resilience, and fragility of our planet.

“I set out to find the places others had written off as too cold, too remote, and too dangerous to surf,” he recalls in his 2015 Ted Talk. In these wild and unforgiving places, he’s found silence and peace, reminding us of the importance of getting back to our roots and reconnecting with the environment.

Diane Arbus (1923-1971)

Experiencing the height of her career in the 1960s, Arbus was known for her offbeat and often haunting portraits. Whether she was photographing members of LGBTQ+ community, sex workers, circus performers, or people with developmental or physical disabilities, her gaze frequently landed on those who had been overlooked or relegated to the fringes of society.

Since she came from a privileged upbringing herself, Arbus’s photographs of marginalized and disadvantaged people have been hotly debated by scholars, intellectuals, and the public—but her unflinching honesty and interest in the human psyche have earned her a special place in the history of photography. As John Szarkowski, the former director of photography at the Museum of Modern Art, once put it, “Arbus did not avert her eyes.”

Arbus passed away in 1971, leaving behind a basement full of hundreds of rolls of film. The New York Times published an obituary for her just last year, nearly fifty years after her death, as part of their project ‘Overlooked’—reaffirming once again the timeless nature of her work.

Browse her photographs here.

Learn more about Diane Arbus: Read Diane Arbus: An Aperture Monograph, first published in 1972, one year after her death.

Born in France and based in Southern Africa, Bleda spent her childhood as a citizen of the world, soaking up all the sights, sounds, and flavors the world has to offer. She’s drawn to mystery, and whether she’s shooting night sky photography in the city or wandering through the countryside, her photographs are often imbued with a sense of the uncanny and otherworldly.

Although she’s chosen a different subject matter, Bleda recently named Arbus among her influences in conversation with The Washington Post, along with science fiction author Philip K. Dick and others. Perhaps what ties her work to Arbus is that sense of mystery and interest in the unknown. As Arbus famously commented, “A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you, the less you know.”

Robert Frank (1924-2019)

Frank’s beginnings as a commercial photographer in Zurich (and later, as a fashion photographer in the US) laid a solid foundation for the street photography that made him famous. Frank shot with his emotions, looking for evocative compositions rather than technical perfection. Though this perceived “sloppiness” was commented on by critics, it was the exact quality that set his work apart from other documentary photos.

His collection, The Americans, also received criticism in the United States due to its somewhat unflattering portrayal of the title subjects. Now, The Americans is widely considered to be a masterpiece and the benchmark by which generations of photographers have measured their work. Frank passed away in September of this year at the age of 94.

Browse his photographs here.

Learn more about Robert Frank: The documentary Don’t Blink — Robert Frank examines Frank’s process and personal life.

Guy Bourdin (1928-1991)

Originally a French painter, Guy Bourdin applied compositional elements of painting to photography throughout his expansive career. (He initially exhibited under the name Edwin Hallan.)

Bourdin’s provocative, colorful style turned fashion photography on its head, prioritizing the image over the product. A contemporary of both Man Ray and Magritte, his work is recognizable for its vibrant colors, cropped compositions, and elements of surrealism. By his death in 1991, Bourdin had achieved recognition in the worlds of fashion, art, and photography. However, he preferred to remain out of the limelight, even going so far as to turn down a prestigious award from the French Ministry of Culture.

Browse his photographs here.

Learn more about Guy Bourdin: Take a look at this documentary: When the Sky Fell Down – the Myth of Guy Bourdin.

As an emerging street photographer, Jeffries once took a picture of a young homeless woman; she immediately confronted him about not asking for permission first, and he apologized. In the ten-plus years since, he’s traveled the world photographing people living on the streets, always with their consent.

Jeffries has spent a great deal of time with the individuals in his photographs, and in addition to highlighting their personal histories, his dignified portraits have raised awareness about the global problem of homelessness.

Beyond sharing the stories behind the photos, the photographer has raised funds for charities and donated his own money to help people in need. “Everyone else walks by like the homeless are invisible,” he once told TIME. “I’m stepping through the fear, in the hope that people will realize these people are just like me and you.”

Don McCullin (1935-present)

Sir Donald McCullin got his start in the 1950s, photographing friends who were involved in a local London gang. As a war correspondent in the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s, he went on to document poverty, destruction, and desperation in conflict zones around the world. “Having a tough background gave me empathy,” he recently told The New York Times. “It made me know violence, poverty, bigotry.”

Though his photographs are often painful, they also serve as a testament to the importance of bearing witness to the suffering of others. Throughout it all, his hope has been to give voice to those who remain unheard—and to compel us to confront atrocities and acknowledge our obligations to people in need.

McCullin’s code of ethics and his unwavering empathy, honed in those early years in London, have served as his guiding lights. In fact, some of his best photographs might have been those he chose not to take; he respected the wishes of a dying soldier in Vietnam who didn’t want to be photographed, and he dropped his camera in Cyprus to save a child.

Always quick to eschew the “artist” label in favor of the no-nonsense title of “photographer,” McCullin once admitted, “I didn’t choose photography, it seemed to choose me, but I’ve been loyal by risking my life for 50 years.”

Browse his photographs here.

Learn more about Don McCullin: Read his autobiography, Unreasonable Behavior.

William Eggleston (1939-present)

Color photography was slow to gain popularity in an overwhelmingly monochrome field. Eggleston embraced color photography early on as a medium for elevating everyday objects. His work helped to legitimize the use of color in artistic photography (so much so that the selling price of one of his works set a world record).

Now 80, Eggleston continues to create in daring ways. He released a debut album of electronic soundscapes, Musik, in 2017. The album incorporates old school melodies, techniques, and musical equipment, resulting in a refreshing new take on once-familiar material.

Browse his photographs here.

Learn more about William Eggleston: Read his interview with Sean O’Hagan of The Observer.

Raised in Pacific Northwest, this photographer—who goes by the moniker “Fursty”—has a love for nature and dark, foggy days etched into his DNA. He’s traveled to some of the most extraordinary and historic places on Earth—living in a wooden sailboat in East Greenland, roaming with the sheep of Iceland, and touching down in Chernobyl, Ukraine, an area that will remain uninhabitable for thousands of years to come.

Perhaps he’s most at home in the forest, and he camps as often as he can. Even with millions of followers tuning in to his work daily, he makes time to explore. “I want people to respect nature, because it’s beautiful,” he explained in a 2017 interview. “That’s why I’m taking pictures of it—not because it’s going to get you Instagram likes.”

Peter Lindbergh (1944-2019)

One of a rare breed of commercial photographers who eschew retouching, Lindbergh’s photos show beauty at its most raw. As the demand for perfectly polished celebrity portraits increased, this German photographer’s work stood out for its authenticity and realism.

Lindbergh turned to photography in the way many do: after buying a camera to take family photos. He later worked with celebrities such as Helen Mirren, Tina Turner, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. Despite his anti-retouching stance, his January 1990 cover photo for British Vogue is widely credited as the beginning of the supermodel phenomenon. In a 2016 CNN interview, he explained, “The first rule of beauty is truth.” Lindbergh passed away on September 3, less than a week before Frank’s death.

Browse his photographs here.

Learn more about Peter Lindbergh: Watch this DW Documentary about his career.

Currently based in Paris, this Italian-born photographer and director draws from the worlds of fashion and fine art to create fanciful, romantic portraits. Bevacqua, who also goes by the moniker Moth Art, got her start in her teens, photographing her sisters and friends, and she’s returned to women as a central focus throughout her career.

Preferring spontaneous, authentic pictures over “perfect” and idealized representations, she subverts stereotypes surrounding femininity while inhabiting a fantastical, dreamlike world that’s entirely her own.

“I don’t have a precise message, besides beauty, in its simplest form,” she told My Modern Met a few years ago. “I want people to feel emotions while looking at my photos, to imagine things, stories and old memories.” She recently released the book Her Out There—a collection of her portraits of women.

Ellen Von Unwerth (1954-present)

Von Unwerth’s road to photography featured many twists and turns. Orphaned in Germany at a young age, she served as a magician’s assistant after high school. She then launched a ten-year modeling career leading up to her shift into fashion photography. Von Unwerth has worked with Vogue, Vanity Fair, and the band Duran Duran.

Her unique view, which encompasses the fashion industry from both sides of the camera, is evident in her approach to fashion photography in the “Me Too” era. Both on the shoot and in her finished work, Von Unwerth shows all of her subjects’ bodies to their best advantage without objectifying or disrespecting them.

Browse her photographs here.

Learn more about Ellen Von Unwerth: Read her 2018 interview for Harper’s Bazaar magazine.

Inspired? Share your work on 500px to show the world what you took away from studying these famous photographers.

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rudemann1-blog · 7 years

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Gordon Parks Introduction: I was aware of Gordon Park because of his movies, The Learning Tree, Shaft, and Shaft’s Big Score, but not so much with his photographic background and his influence on so many. I find it ironic that we had so much in common. When younger, 15 or so, my interest in photography began with flashcube camera. I remember my first opportunity to photograph a young woman in her swimsuit, she was probably only 18 at the time. I knew very little about lighting and soon became aware the power of her lamp on the table was more powerful than my cube flash and just her legs were showing in the photo, took me nearly 2 weeks to confess. That was the beginning of my taking photography serious. Started reading materials and soon became interested in black and white and after obtaining my first true 35mm camera, a Pentax, I was soon on my way. Joined military in 1968 and while stationed in Turkey, took lots of pictures. Next tour in Okinawa, provided me an opportunity to learn from the base photographer and became interested in shooting slides and processing. After my return to the Illuminating company, I introduced myself to the in-house darkroom specialist, Master’s Degree from RIT, and he allowed me to observe him at his work. When he decided to retire, I was given the job. Had a large enlarger that used 10x10” negatives and also I could convert it to a copy camera which allowed me to produce images up to 8’ on 40” wide paper. My next chance was at NASA started in black and white department but later progressed to processing all film from 1985 to 1997 before digital imaging eliminated the job. I am re-energized after this research to improve on my photography. The same problems of racism have also hindered me from advancing because I had no degree they felt that I could work for less. I too loved to shoot landscapes, models, weddings, parties and whatever came my way. I thoroughly enjoyed the research as it came to show me how little progress has been made in race relations and social issues. Things seem to be getting worse instead of better. This research reflected the numerous times Gordon would approach agencies unannounced and impressed them with his work which allowed him opportunities to have his work published and appreciated. His primary goal was to expose the injustices around the world concerning the poor and less fortunate. His choice of weapons were his camera and the pen, which later became the title of one his autobiographies. One of my favorite quotes by Gordon was “The important thing is not so much what you suffered – or didn’t suffer – but how you put that learning to use”. History: Gordon Roger Alexander Buchanan Parks was born in Fort Scott, Kansas on November 20, 1912 and died of cancer on March 7, 2006 at the age of 93. His father was Andrew Jackson Parks a dirt farmer his mother Sarah Ross a maid. Gordon was considered a creative genius as he excelled in many exploits; photographer, filmmaker, author, and composer. The youngest of fifteen children, Gordon rose from a childhood of poverty in a segregated society and used his talents to better the world around him. When his mother died in 1928, he was only 15 years old.. The family was bound by Sarah’s strong conviction that dignity and hard work could overcome the bigotry they faced. His mother’s final request was to send him north to Minnesota to live with his sister, and before the flowers on her grave wilted, his father put him on a train. “Just follow your mother’s teachings and you will be alright” was his father��s departing words. Shortly after his move, his brother-in-law evicted him and he was homeless in the 30 below temperatures and with no job. For nearly a week he spent his nights riding the trolley line from St. Paul to Minneapolis and back again. He barely survived by playing piano in a brothel and washing dishes at a dingy restaurant. Parks attended a segregated elementary school and in high school he attended was integrated they maintained discriminatory policies toward black students. They could not attend any social functions nor compete in sports. He quit high school after the Great Depression set in. While working as a waiter on the North Coast Limited, a transcontinental train that ran between St. Paul and Chicago and Seattle. In a magazine left on the train he found pictures taken by photographers of the Farm Security Administration, FSA set up by President Roosevelt to aid submarginal farmers. These images depicted “stark, tragic images of human beings caught up in the confusion of poverty. He began to read more about photography and to visit museums, to study the work of others. Soon he bought his first camera: a $7.50 Voightlender Brilliant, a 35mm. The camera was to become his weapon against poverty and racism. Parks’s first photographs immediately attracted the attention of the Eastman Kodak Company which sponsored a showing of Park’s pictures in the company show windows. While still in Minnesota Park’s approached Frank Murphy, who owned a women’s store in St. Paul to photograph their fashions. When asked if he could, he lied. Even though he had no samples of his work, his wife decided to give him a chance. When she asked him how many models he wanted, he said three models and six outfits. The following evening he arrived with lights and a highly sophisticated camera that he borrowed, and nervously went to work. Not only was Madeline and her husband impressed, but so was Gordon, until after developing the film, all but one exposure was double-exposed. Owing honesty, two mornings later when the owners arrived a large print of the one good exposure stood in front of the store on an easel. She was really excited and invited him in to view the others. After confessing, she asked him would all of the others would have been as good, he stated “that’s probably the worst”. She gave him another chance and the pictures were so impressive that Joe Louis’s wife, Marva Louis urged him to move to Chicago, where he photographed fashions and did portraits for both black and white clients. In Chicago he documented the devastating effects of poverty. When Parks won a Julius Rosenwald Fellowship in 1941, the first ever awarded in photography, he arranged for an apprenticeship at the FSA in Washington, DC. Parks and his family were not prepared for the racism encountered upon their arrival. Roy Emerson Stryker, his supervisor suggested with Ella Watson, an African Ameerican cleaning woman who worked in the building. Parks took a series of photos of Watson and her family. The most famous image was of her standing in front of an American flag with a mop in one hand and a broom in the other. Later, titled “ American Gothic” which referenced Grant Wood’s 1930 painting of the same name. This was Parks’s first official FSA photo and became one of photography’s iconic images. Parks was in an angry mood when he asked the woman to pose, having earlier been refused service at a clothing store, a movie theater and a restaurant. He was the first African American photographer to work for Life and Vogue magazines and the first to work for the Office of War Information and the Farm Security Administration. Gordon’s son, Gordon Parks Jr, was also a dedicated photographer, but decided on changing his name to Gordon Rogers, because his accomplishments have been mistakenly credited to his father. When Gordon was making the Learning Tree, Gordon Jr .worked as a cameraman and in 1972 he directed Superfly 1972and other films during the blaxploitation films of the early 70’s. In 1979 tragedy struck as he had just landed an independent production company, died in a plane crash in an aborted takeoff on the runway of the Nairobi Airport. Even in death, reports on radio and newspaper accounts had mistakenly reported that it was Gordon Sr., and bibliographical accounts still often confuse the two men In 1933 when invited to join an orchestra .Parks moved back to Harlem, yet the group disbanded almost immediately and once again was without a job. After making a few deliveries for a dope dealer, he joined the Civilian Conservative Corps (CCC) planting trees and clearing camping grounds and beaches until 1934. Soon Parks married Sally Alvis and moved back to Minneapolis and had three children, Gordon Parks Jr. Toni, and David. Gordon’s book “Half Past Autumn” is a retrospective compilation of his life’s work starting with the early years and other photographs of Harlem Gangs, Fashion and crime. In 1943 southern senators were upset with the numerous files crammed with America’s poor and dispossessed amounted in the government’s indictment of itself and was soon abolished and absorbed into the Office of War Information. In the second year of World War II, unrest was building in black military quarters when distinguished leader Colonel Benjamin O. Davis was charged with the black 99th Pursuit Squadron where they were trained and sent overseas. Then later transferred to Selfridge Field near Detroit, Michigan. Soon Gordon was assigned as war correspondent. His duties was to cover the group in training and during flights. After a quick breakfast, at 6:00, was soon airborne with young black fighters getting ready for a fight with Adolph Hitler’s Lultwaffle. Fashion In 1944 while continuing to work for the Office of War information, he decided to take a cheap room at the YMCA and began to look for work. He abruptly entered office of Harper’s Bazaar, but was told that being a Hearst organization, forbid Negroes from being hired. Soon afterwards, Roy Striker advised him to go to Vogue. He was selected to photograph a collection of the season’s finest evening gowns. Five years later he continued to appear in Vogue. In 1948 after several good years at Vogue, his courage led him to Life magazine and after viewing his work, asked him what he would like to do, he replied, fashion and gang wars up in Harlem. While searching for a way to gain access to a gang, he stumbled on Red Jackson, a 16 year old Harlem gang leader. When he mentioned that he want to photograph his gang. Red asked him “why in the hell would I want a Life magazine photographer following him around”. He offered as a suggestion to drive him around in his Buick which convinced Red to allow him to photograph his gang. Three months later when preparing his essay for publication in Life Magazine. He objected to the cover that they chose. It was of a smoking gun in Red’s hand and it could have sent him to prison. He reclaimed the negative and cut it into pieces because of the trust grown between them. At times Gordon suggested that there was a better way of life for him. But Red was too caught up in the Harlem gang life. Forty years later while at Penn Station they once again met and Red went on for an hour rehashing the fearful days of his youth. Upon parting, Red suggested they could go back up there and save those kids in Harlem. Fashion led him once again to Paris during the 50’s, where his photos were admired of the poor, and the different scenery he captured. Gordon published 14 books: Flash Photography, Camera Portraits, The Learning Tree, A Choice of Weapons, A Poet and his Camera, Born Black, Whispers of Intimate things, In Love, Moments without Proper Names, Flavio, To Smile in Autumn, Shannon, Voices in the Mirror, Arias in Silence. From the Arias in Silence is a compilation of his later works which combined his artistry with poetry, water color and his addition of digital images. Each image expressed the need for him to accept life gracefully – without trembling at the inevitability of his departure. SUMMATION: Following my research, I found it interesting that he died of cancer in 2006 at the age of 93 which gives me strength and I will attempt to read whatever I can get my hands on. I watched The Learning Tree, Shaft and read the book, Half past Autumn. I hope my representation of my attempt to replicate his works is not lacking the interpretation of his volume of photographs. Thanks for your attention and hopefully I shared items that were of interest.

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areasontosmileblog-blog · 7 years

Text

Growing Up In Today's Society Is More Difficult Than Growing Up Back Then

Our parents just don't fully get it. We were your age once, you know, is a common statement that teenagers and young adults hear from their parents -- and sometimes on a daily basis (more often than not). This statement is very true, obviously, because everyone did grow up; I mean, thats just simple anatomy. However, this statement also irks me, and heres why: As much as adults may disagree and naturally argue this point, I strongly believe that growing up in todays world is much more challenging than it was for past generations. Social pressures are more powerful, competition is much greater, technology is skyrocketing and everything said or done can be made public in the span of 5 seconds. Violence and danger are also more prevalent, and it seems as if numbers define a child more so than their actual abilities. Young adults, teenagers, even children, are being faced with greater struggles than any of our parents ever went through. Social pressures these days are everywhere, and children at younger ages are being exposed to them. Everyone is growing up so much quicker, and childrens innocence is being swiped away at a much younger age than necessary. The topic of discussion at a middle school table is all about drugs, alcohol, and sex. Since when has that become OK? The pressure follows teens everywhere they go, from social gatherings to behind closed doors on the internet. Unfortunately, we have social media to thank for that one. Sure, our parents were also worried about fitting in and doing the cool thing, but the peer pressure they faced was not even close to the immense pressure teenagers feel today. Instead of running around outside and playing manhunt, young teens are in someones basement drinking alcohol. Middle schoolers are vaping instead of riding somewhere and getting ice cream. Going on a movie date for the first time creates the question of, Is he going to kiss me the whole time? instead of, Should I ask for popcorn? Kids are growing up too fast, and in todays society, being rebellious and doing bad things are becoming the new norm. Kids get tormented for going against the gradient, so they roll with the flow. Social media has also caused chaos -- a whole new element of drama that adults didnt have to grow up dealing with. Everything one says or does is immediately posted, or saved onto someones camera roll, and usually never gets deleted. Adults can whine to us about how everything is "the same as it was in the past," and how it just has to do with perspective. But that is in fact not true. Social media itself is causing greater social pressures and greater risks. With social media, nothing is private. Growing up today means you grow up in a spotlight, and that comes with great responsibility. You have to constantly be aware of what you are doing, what you are saying, and who you are associating with. Because if you mess up or are with the wrong crowd, even for 10 minutes, that may backfire quicker than you can say the word backfire. Similarly, social media goes hand in hand with giving todays teens false images of perfection and what is expected vs. what is weird. Todays society is obsessed with what makes someone fat or ugly. Models wearing a size 4 are considered overweight, and celebrities walking down the street without makeup on are attacked by being called sickly. Social medias role in this is to make sure these stories and images get shown everywhere, and I mean everywhere. Todays world is so focused on appearance that many young people growing up are brainwashed and manipulated into thinking that they are not pretty enough, not desirable and not wanted. This then leads to more cases of depression, and higher suicide rates. I am not stating that this did not occur back then because I know it did. Depression and the natural instinct to not like yourself (or things about yourself) is inevitable. However, in todays society and with social media crawling at you in every direction, the urgency to be perfect is a much bigger problem now than it was before. There is such an unachievable standard that this society has created for my generation, and all teens seem to fall into its depths to at least some extent. Switching topics, the competition is also greater. Everything is way more difficult than it needs to be, especially the entire process for applying to colleges. You cannot get into your dream school without having a 4.0 GPA, being a varsity athlete for four years, being the president in three clubs, doing 100 hours of community service and having two jobs. Being involved is great, yes, but I do not think that the requirements to get into certain schools should be the way they are. I understand there is a high demand and requirements need to be put into place, but I think this should be done in a more efficient way. High schoolers are constantly thinking about ways to fill up their resume and what they can do to make themselves better than the person sitting next to them. The. Pressure. Never. Ends. Got a C on a test? Thats unheard of. Try again. Only have a 3.4 GPA? Sorry, you must get all As next semester to even stand a chance. The academic pressure is exceeding what it has ever been before, and it takes a toll on students' happiness and freedom to just be a teen and enjoy life! Even after college, it never ends. The competition to get into grad school, or to land that big internship, is so great that it begins to be the only thing on a young adults brain. Our generation needs to learn to relax, breathe, and have some hope that everything will fall into place. Numbers have slowly taken over. Whether it be a simple test grade, a GPA, an ACT score or something as silly as how many followers you have on Instagram and how many comments you get on a post. Your abilities are defined by your ACT scores, because you are only as smart as your test score shows (obviously not true, but thats how it feels). Your popularity is defined by how many likes you get on a picture, and if you get a lot, youre obviously better than Sally who only got 5 (again, NOT true). But you see, we are surrounded by these numbers, and the pressure we face stems from those. It has turned into a life or death situation, and that is not healthy. This is also where social media comes in, again. You know every achievement and every award that someone has ever been granted. People growing up today are so focused on being better than the person beside them, and bragging to all their peers about how successful and amazing they are. Life for todays teens is one giant competition, and it seems to be never ending. Danger and violence are also spiraling out of control, and the political stuff around us. Yes, politics have always been a thing, and so has violence, but it is baffling how much of an effect those are having today. It seems we are moving backward, not forward. Teens have to fear going to the movie theater these days or walking home from the pool at night. You have to get patted down to enter a food festival, and you cant wear long necklaces at schools because they are considered weapons. What is happening here? Every night on the news you hear about a new shooting, or a new person getting arrested on your street; it is truly never ending, and it certainly does not seem to be getting any better. The point Im trying to make is that sometimes adults really dont fully get it. I know they understand similar aspects and have empathy for certain scenarios that we go through, but they will never actually understand what it feels like to grow up now. It really is so different, whether they want to believe it or not. Everyone encounters struggles and challenges, but today it is especially difficult because there is always someone else to please, someone else to compete with and another higher expectation to be met. Nothing nowadays is simple, or easy. Life is not easy, and I get that, but todays youth is growing up with issues and pressures that are greater than theyve ever been. We are constantly having to watch our back, be aware of who is watching us and potentially recording us, wear the best outfit to the concert and get the very best grades to stand a chance in todays competitive world. Numbers are becoming more important than skills, and teenagers are constantly striving for an unachievable goal of perfection. Sometimes I wish I could rewind time and grow up in the time my parents did, or at least wish that the adults in our lives would somehow understand the great pressure and challenges we are all being consumed by. Xoxo Sarah

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tragicbooks · 7 years

Text

31 powerful reasons people are protesting at the Women's March.

For the past, the present, and the future, people share their reasons for marching.

<br>

In an unprecedented rebuke to the inauguration of President Donald Trump, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets and marched on Washington, D.C. — and around the world — on Jan. 21, 2017.

On his first full day in office, the Women's March on Washington drew demonstrators from across the country — men, women, and children alike — to fight back against harmful rhetoric and campaign proposals Trump has promised.

Hundreds of thousands of protesters descend on Washington, D.C., for the Women's March. Photo by Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images.

The march, which comes amid a slew of new polls reflecting historically low favorability ratings for the 45th president, united members of many marginalized groups, from people of color and immigrants to LGBTQ Americans and survivors of sexual assault to members of the disabled community who created a virtual version of the march — all who felt targeted by the president throughout his 2016 campaign.

Using the hashtag #WhyIMarch on Twitter, many marchers expressed why they took to the streets. Here are 31 of their powerful responses:

1. This person is marching for his son, who idolizes Hillary Clinton.

I’ll never forget when my 3 year old son, Mateo Ali told me that he wants to be @HillaryClinton when he grows up. That matters. #WhyIMarch

— Michael Skolnik (@MichaelSkolnik) January 20, 2017

2. This person is marching for undocumented immigrants, who deserve better.

Sending love to my undocumented sisters and brothers. I will fight with you and for you. #HereToStay #WhyIMarch

— Linda Sarsour (@lsarsour) January 20, 2017

3. This person is marching to pay her mother's selflessness forward.

Marching b/c my mom came to this country so I could have the opportunities she was denied for being a woman #WhyIMarch http://pic.twitter.com/nYCrtunQ4S

— Bonnie (@bonniecasillas) January 10, 2017

4. This person is marching to take a stand for disability rights and respect.

I march because I am a woman with a disability and I refuse to be bullied into silence #whyIMarch @womensmarch

— Linda Kelchner (@profe105) January 14, 2017

5. This person is marching because she is enough.

I'm never going to let anyone tell me I am not enough because I'm Latina, a woman and POC. #WhyIMarch

— I Ain't Sorry ✊ (@JennZoet) January 10, 2017

6. This person is marching because she wants to do what's right for her child.

One reason I'm attending #WomensMarch is b/c I want to be the role model my daughter deserves #whyIMarch

— Sarah Nyswonger (@yosemitezoo) January 10, 2017

7. This person is marching because there's no excuse for inequality.

It is unfathomable that equal rights don't exist & my 21 yr old daughter has to deal w/ sexual, financial & social oppression #whyIMarch http://pic.twitter.com/9lTW0HWwno

— Allison Banks (@alliesuz) January 10, 2017

8. This person is marching because we should all have control over our own bodies.

I'm marching because the freedom to decide what to do with one's body is the most basic and profound human right. #WomensMarch #whyIMarch

— Casey Casias (@thebravengineer) January 10, 2017

9. The actor Melissa Benoist, marches because you just don't mess with Supergirl (or the woman who plays her).

.@MelissaBenoist IS a legend ✊🏻#WomensMarch http://pic.twitter.com/VPsDCaPcCJ

— Camilla L News (@CamillaLNews) January 21, 2017

10. This person is marching to be an ally to everyone who feels afraid.

I'm joining the @womensmarch in Washington on Saturday to support everyone who feels threatened by what's happening in America #WhyIMarch

— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) January 20, 2017

11. This person is marching because women ... well, they're people, too.

@womensmarch I'm marching because, like most women, I too am human, & support human rights & equality. Also, these characters #whyimarch http://pic.twitter.com/ekvyuR35zi

— bpinder (@bpinder) January 10, 2017

12. This person is marching because the future depends on having good schools.

Days 4, 5, 6 #WhyIMarch: Education. Education. Education. (especially PUBLIC education) #PowerOfHope #SUNinDC #SuitUpNebraska

— em nelson (@EMNhistory) January 10, 2017

13. Little Miss Flint is marching because we all deserve clean drinking water.

We wont have access to safe water until 2020!!#WhyIMarch #FlintWaterCrisis #WMWYouth #Flint#MISOTS17 http://pic.twitter.com/gXOS4HQodU

— Little Miss Flint (@LoveMeLuLu22) January 18, 2017

14. This person is marching to feel rejuvenated once again.

I am marching to be strengthened and uplifted. I am hoping to gather knowledge on how to go forward #WhyIMarch

— Karen Lambert (@mamaslambert) January 10, 2017

15. This person is marching for trans rights.

"Trans rights are human rights." #WhyIMarch http://pic.twitter.com/593g9TouXl

— Feminist Frequency (@femfreq) January 21, 2017

16. This person is marching because "justice for all" means justice for all.

To demand equality, reproductive rights, safety for people of all races, beliefs, gender or sexual identities. For Justice! #WhyIMarch

— wendi (@WendiUnraveled) January 10, 2017

17. This person is marching for her granddaughter — and everyone else's, too.

#WhyIMarch #January21 @womensmarch - I march for my granddaughter and all young girls! http://pic.twitter.com/zP7Kt4BeX8

— Mary Anita Williams (@marwillias47) January 10, 2017

18. This person is marching because she's basically everything Trump has attacked on the campaign trail.

I am everything he thinks is evil- Mexican, female, immigrant, scientist, educated, not scared, successful, open-minded #WhyIMarch #Jan21 🇺🇸

— Martha (@smilybean04) January 10, 2017

19. This person is marching because equal rights shouldn't be controversial.

#WhyIMarch because everyone deserves the same rights, no matter their gender, race, origin, or sexuality #WomensMarch

— Ariana Moore (@goodenoughfor) January 21, 2017

20. This person is marching for female veterans and those living with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Thank you to all the powerful voices supporting #women & #veterans! Only 11 days until #womensmarch🇺🇸! #whyIMarch >> https://t.co/NsVlBogicd http://pic.twitter.com/f5MBkfGIR2

— Pam Campos (@_pamcampos) January 10, 2017

21. This person is marching because of the women who came before her.

For the women who fought for the vote, her seat on the bus and her place in the office. #WhyIMarch #WomensMarch #Seattle

— Stephanie Timken (@Stimken) January 21, 2017

22. This person is marching because her family is as diverse as America itself.

#whyIMarch My niece is transgender My niece is Bi My nephew is gay My husband is Jew-ish. I stand for the HUMAN race and religious freedom♥️

— DeborrahFlinnerCohen (@FlinnerFoto) January 10, 2017

23. This person is marching to take a stand against sexual assault.

@womensmarch As a therapist, client survivors have been destabilized with a sexual predator elected to POTUS. 1 reason #whyIMarch

— Lauren F (@nocheetosaz) January 10, 2017

24. This person is marching to put an end to gun violence.

This bell cannot be unrung. @momsdemand @Everytown #WomensMarch http://pic.twitter.com/Yjiv2kuha7

— TheIndyJagger (@TheIndyJagger) January 21, 2017

25. These people are marching because the rights of all women are at stake, no matter their jobs.

Team CHANGE marching for all women, sex workers included. #WomensMarch #BreakBarriers http://pic.twitter.com/fHdWnk0IcF

— CHANGE (@genderhealth) January 21, 2017

26. This person is marching because we simply cannot give up now.

#whyIMarch we've come too far to give up the forward motion

— nancy (@nancynye78) January 10, 2017

27. CNN's Sally Kohn is marching because these are not the words of a leader.

Unacceptable before. Unacceptable now. ( via @dreamhampton ) #WhyIMarch #WomensMarch #NotMyPresident http://pic.twitter.com/XDlrf9XvOH

— Sally Kohn (@sallykohn) January 21, 2017

28. This person is marching because the future depends on it.

For the rights of the generations to come 💛 #whyIMarch #WomensMarch

— Shelby Wulfert (@ShelbyWulfert) January 21, 2017

29. Actress Lupita Nyong'o marches because she won't let the world rob her of her dignity.

#WhyIMarch: I have decided not to be reduced by any events, social or political, that aim to rob me of my dignity. #FBF Angelou & Steinem http://pic.twitter.com/6Yd9H93ln4

— Lupita Nyong'o (@Lupita_Nyongo) January 20, 2017

30. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Washington) marches as a message to politicians who want to deny people access to affordable care at Planned Parenthood.

For the millions of men & women who rely on Planned Parenthood for their health care needs. #WhyIMarch http://pic.twitter.com/2dMYon8JGH

— Senator Patty Murray (@PattyMurray) January 21, 2017

31. This person marches because she survived the attack at Sandy Hook and won't stop now.

Sandy Hook survivor Yvonne and @Ashleycech at the #womensMarch #WMNYC @momsdemand http://pic.twitter.com/9Lvf0qd3Ui

— Barry Graubart (@graubart) January 21, 2017

Human rights are under attack. Women's rights are under attack. The women, the men, the boys, and the girls who march today are sending a powerful message at those who seek to deny others those rights.

No matter who you voted for (or if you voted) in November's election, you have a right to make your voice heard — and around the world, hundreds of thousands of people are doing just that. Change is possible, and protests do work.

The 31 stories shared here are a small sampling of the wide range of reasons people have taken to the streets in dissent. When things look tough, let us look to those voices, let us join in their chorus.

A woman in Barcelona, Spain, marches for women's rights. Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images.

<br>

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socialviralnews · 7 years

Text

31 powerful reasons people are protesting at the Women's March.

For the past, the present, and the future, people share their reasons for marching.

<br>

Hundreds of thousands of protesters descend on Washington, D.C., for the Women's March. Photo by Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images.

Using the hashtag #WhyIMarch on Twitter, many marchers expressed why they took to the streets. Here are 31 of their powerful responses:

1. This person is marching for his son, who idolizes Hillary Clinton.

I’ll never forget when my 3 year old son, Mateo Ali told me that he wants to be @HillaryClinton when he grows up. That matters. #WhyIMarch

— Michael Skolnik (@MichaelSkolnik) January 20, 2017

2. This person is marching for undocumented immigrants, who deserve better.

Sending love to my undocumented sisters and brothers. I will fight with you and for you. #HereToStay #WhyIMarch

— Linda Sarsour (@lsarsour) January 20, 2017

3. This person is marching to pay her mother's selflessness forward.

Marching b/c my mom came to this country so I could have the opportunities she was denied for being a woman #WhyIMarch http://pic.twitter.com/nYCrtunQ4S

— Bonnie (@bonniecasillas) January 10, 2017

4. This person is marching to take a stand for disability rights and respect.

I march because I am a woman with a disability and I refuse to be bullied into silence #whyIMarch @womensmarch

— Linda Kelchner (@profe105) January 14, 2017

5. This person is marching because she is enough.

I'm never going to let anyone tell me I am not enough because I'm Latina, a woman and POC. #WhyIMarch

— I Ain't Sorry ✊ (@JennZoet) January 10, 2017

6. This person is marching because she wants to do what's right for her child.

One reason I'm attending #WomensMarch is b/c I want to be the role model my daughter deserves #whyIMarch

— Sarah Nyswonger (@yosemitezoo) January 10, 2017

7. This person is marching because there's no excuse for inequality.

It is unfathomable that equal rights don't exist & my 21 yr old daughter has to deal w/ sexual, financial & social oppression #whyIMarch http://pic.twitter.com/9lTW0HWwno

— Allison Banks (@alliesuz) January 10, 2017

8. This person is marching because we should all have control over our own bodies.

I'm marching because the freedom to decide what to do with one's body is the most basic and profound human right. #WomensMarch #whyIMarch

— Casey Casias (@thebravengineer) January 10, 2017

9. The actor Melissa Benoist, marches because you just don't mess with Supergirl (or the woman who plays her).

.@MelissaBenoist IS a legend ✊🏻#WomensMarch http://pic.twitter.com/VPsDCaPcCJ

— Camilla L News (@CamillaLNews) January 21, 2017

10. This person is marching to be an ally to everyone who feels afraid.

I'm joining the @womensmarch in Washington on Saturday to support everyone who feels threatened by what's happening in America #WhyIMarch

— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) January 20, 2017

11. This person is marching because women ... well, they're people, too.

@womensmarch I'm marching because, like most women, I too am human, & support human rights & equality. Also, these characters #whyimarch http://pic.twitter.com/ekvyuR35zi

— bpinder (@bpinder) January 10, 2017

12. This person is marching because the future depends on having good schools.

Days 4, 5, 6 #WhyIMarch: Education. Education. Education. (especially PUBLIC education) #PowerOfHope #SUNinDC #SuitUpNebraska

— em nelson (@EMNhistory) January 10, 2017

13. Little Miss Flint is marching because we all deserve clean drinking water.

We wont have access to safe water until 2020!!#WhyIMarch #FlintWaterCrisis #WMWYouth #Flint#MISOTS17 http://pic.twitter.com/gXOS4HQodU

— Little Miss Flint (@LoveMeLuLu22) January 18, 2017

14. This person is marching to feel rejuvenated once again.

I am marching to be strengthened and uplifted. I am hoping to gather knowledge on how to go forward #WhyIMarch

— Karen Lambert (@mamaslambert) January 10, 2017

15. This person is marching for trans rights.

"Trans rights are human rights." #WhyIMarch http://pic.twitter.com/593g9TouXl

— Feminist Frequency (@femfreq) January 21, 2017

16. This person is marching because "justice for all" means justice for all.

To demand equality, reproductive rights, safety for people of all races, beliefs, gender or sexual identities. For Justice! #WhyIMarch

— wendi (@WendiUnraveled) January 10, 2017

17. This person is marching for her granddaughter — and everyone else's, too.

#WhyIMarch #January21 @womensmarch - I march for my granddaughter and all young girls! http://pic.twitter.com/zP7Kt4BeX8

— Mary Anita Williams (@marwillias47) January 10, 2017

18. This person is marching because she's basically everything Trump has attacked on the campaign trail.

I am everything he thinks is evil- Mexican, female, immigrant, scientist, educated, not scared, successful, open-minded #WhyIMarch #Jan21 🇺🇸

— Martha (@smilybean04) January 10, 2017

19. This person is marching because equal rights shouldn't be controversial.

#WhyIMarch because everyone deserves the same rights, no matter their gender, race, origin, or sexuality #WomensMarch

— Ariana Moore (@goodenoughfor) January 21, 2017

20. This person is marching for female veterans and those living with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Thank you to all the powerful voices supporting #women & #veterans! Only 11 days until #womensmarch🇺🇸! #whyIMarch >> https://t.co/NsVlBogicd http://pic.twitter.com/f5MBkfGIR2

— Pam Campos (@_pamcampos) January 10, 2017

21. This person is marching because of the women who came before her.

For the women who fought for the vote, her seat on the bus and her place in the office. #WhyIMarch #WomensMarch #Seattle

— Stephanie Timken (@Stimken) January 21, 2017

22. This person is marching because her family is as diverse as America itself.

#whyIMarch My niece is transgender My niece is Bi My nephew is gay My husband is Jew-ish. I stand for the HUMAN race and religious freedom♥️

— DeborrahFlinnerCohen (@FlinnerFoto) January 10, 2017

23. This person is marching to take a stand against sexual assault.

@womensmarch As a therapist, client survivors have been destabilized with a sexual predator elected to POTUS. 1 reason #whyIMarch

— Lauren F (@nocheetosaz) January 10, 2017

24. This person is marching to put an end to gun violence.

This bell cannot be unrung. @momsdemand @Everytown #WomensMarch http://pic.twitter.com/Yjiv2kuha7

— TheIndyJagger (@TheIndyJagger) January 21, 2017

25. These people are marching because the rights of all women are at stake, no matter their jobs.

Team CHANGE marching for all women, sex workers included. #WomensMarch #BreakBarriers http://pic.twitter.com/fHdWnk0IcF

— CHANGE (@genderhealth) January 21, 2017

26. This person is marching because we simply cannot give up now.

#whyIMarch we've come too far to give up the forward motion

— nancy (@nancynye78) January 10, 2017

27. CNN's Sally Kohn is marching because these are not the words of a leader.

Unacceptable before. Unacceptable now. ( via @dreamhampton ) #WhyIMarch #WomensMarch #NotMyPresident http://pic.twitter.com/XDlrf9XvOH

— Sally Kohn (@sallykohn) January 21, 2017

28. This person is marching because the future depends on it.

For the rights of the generations to come 💛 #whyIMarch #WomensMarch

— Shelby Wulfert (@ShelbyWulfert) January 21, 2017

29. Actress Lupita Nyong'o marches because she won't let the world rob her of her dignity.

#WhyIMarch: I have decided not to be reduced by any events, social or political, that aim to rob me of my dignity. #FBF Angelou & Steinem http://pic.twitter.com/6Yd9H93ln4

— Lupita Nyong'o (@Lupita_Nyongo) January 20, 2017

30. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Washington) marches as a message to politicians who want to deny people access to affordable care at Planned Parenthood.

For the millions of men & women who rely on Planned Parenthood for their health care needs. #WhyIMarch http://pic.twitter.com/2dMYon8JGH

— Senator Patty Murray (@PattyMurray) January 21, 2017

31. This person marches because she survived the attack at Sandy Hook and won't stop now.

Sandy Hook survivor Yvonne and @Ashleycech at the #womensMarch #WMNYC @momsdemand http://pic.twitter.com/9Lvf0qd3Ui

— Barry Graubart (@graubart) January 21, 2017

A woman in Barcelona, Spain, marches for women's rights. Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images.

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