THE AMERICA ISSUE
Fall 2022
Published by the Social Documentary Network
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America Issue portfolios 1-9
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What Has Been Will Be Again
Jared Ragland
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From Indigenous genocide to slavery and secession, and from the fight for civil rights to the championing of MAGA ideology, the state of Alabama has stood at the nexus of American identity. Begun in fall 2020, the ongoing project, “What Has Been Will Be Again,” has led photographer Jared Ragland across historic colonial routes including the Old Federal Road and Hernando de Soto’s 1540 expedition to bear witness to and connect with individuals and communities plagued by generational poverty, environmental exploitation, and social injustices. View more images on SDN website.
US of A Color
Ghada Khunji
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In my “America” series, an ongoing project, I attempt to portray a cross-section of a country filled with overwhelming pride yet tinged with sadness and confusion. To me, the people I photograph are almost lost in their own fairy tale. I try to capture my subjects’ beauty and spirit, as well as the simplicity of their surroundings. After all, I have deep respect for them, for it is my fairy tale too, one that I strived to be a part of growing up in the Middle East. It reflects the movies I watched and yearned to be a part of … it is MY America. View more images on SDN website​.
Low 'n Slow: Cruising the Mission
Cheryl L. Guerrero
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Since 2017, I have been documenting lowrider cruises in the Mission District of San Francisco, considered to be the center of the city’s Latino community. Throughout the Bay Area, lowrider cruises are an expression of pride, aesthetics, and Chicano culture. In many ways, cruises are not just about the car, but also about creativity, style, friendship, and family. Most importantly, they are about culture and community. Although not all lowriders are Chicano, the vibrant style and cultural expression are strongly linked to the Latino—and particularly the Chicano—community. This is especially relevant in the Mission District, where gentrification has contributed to the erosion of the historically Latino neighborhood and the displacement of its members. Audrey, who grew up in the Mission, explains that cruises are “our chance to take it back and to … show that we’re still here. Even if we can’t afford to live in the city that we were born and raised in, we’re still here.” View more images on the SDN website.
COVID-19 in Black America
Raymond W Holman Jr
In March 2020, I started working on a new personal project “Covid-19 in Black America.” From March until August 2020, I documented a group of Black doctors and nurses providing free Covid-19 tests in the Black communities of Philadelphia and surrounding areas. I am now creating environmental portraits of Black and brown-skinned people who have had first-hand experience with having Covid-19 and recovered, have lost family members who have died from the disease, have been mentally challenged by the year of being socially isolated, and finally Black and brown-skinned people who have figured out how to adjust to the challenge and made a new pathway. View more images on the SDN website.