Selected Organization: George Floyd’s Daughter’s Fund
Tell us a little bit about yourself: where you're from / you & your family's background.
I was born in the island of Jamaica. Then with my mother, I permanently migrated to the New York in 1996. My goal, along with many migrants at the time, was to attend school while working to send money back to the island.
Can you elaborate on the photographs you took: The story behind them / when and where they were taken? Personally, what do these two photographs symbolize to you?
Both photographs were taken a couple years ago. The photograph of my daughter and one of her closest friends is about the weight of a child with dark skin, and how relentless she’ll have to be in order to survive in an unforgiving world filled with male dominance.
The second image is from a photograph taken of a man named Papoose while in Sedona, Arizona. He had a gentle soul, as I felt his energy. And so I approached him to ask his permission for a photograph. He took out his wallet with a bag that originally had 4 glittering specs he got from this gold healing service since 2007. It began to multiply ever since.
What does the organization you chose mean to you and why that specific one? Why do you feel others should be aware of it & supporting it as well? That was a difficult one to choose because there are so many victims that need the attention. However, I chose to support George’s daughter because his mutilation in front of the camera struck a cord with me. I will how we admit that I ended up not watching the entire video that lead up to his death. Just a knee pressed on his throat for so long was more than enough for me to not notice this larger symbolic gesture of oppression—who’s on top and who’s not.
AL J’s Prints for Action
