Yesterday, as part of the International Rescue Committee’s “From Harm to Home Walk,” I showed some portraits I did of refugees that have come to Abilene. So, there’s that.
This is what I put on the flyer for the show:
“As humans, we have a strong tendency to categorize things. Categorizing people, and thinking of them collectively, though, can easily lead to dehumanization.
The aim of the “Faces of IRC” project is to push back against that tendency. We often hear or read about ‘the refugee community,’ but that doesn’t do justice to the diversity of the cultural and ethnic heritages that are represented by those individual refugees and families who have been resettled here.
By focusing on faces, I hope to create some sort of connection between people, so that after seeing these images, they won’t be as tempted to think of ‘the refugee community’ as one singular mass, but as individuals with faces and stories as unique as their own.”
Thanks Greg, for sharing with us the beauty of the human face, and revealing the personalities of these refugees and reminding us of their humanity. Thank you for giving them the dignity of recognizing their worth regardless of their circumstances.
It reinforces the belief that people are people wherever they are and we all should recognize that every man, woman and child has value and dignity because they are on this planet. We are all one, just in different skin and with different experiences.
Thanks for sharing these Greg. I admit, with some embarrassment, that I don’t know any refugees in OKC. I appreciate the perspective.
Wow, Greg, good work. I especially enjoyed the contrasts, gender/age differences, and way you worked with shadow and light in several cases. Thanks for sharing.
Carley
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