This project is called Portraits for Protest. I wanted to take powerful and beautiful portraits of specific protesters from all walks of life in order to add real faces to the BLM movement. This includes Black men and women, Black Trans, Asian, Latino and Palestinian people. I’m hoping that by doing this, I can get people who are observing the sea of protesters to feel connected and empowered to participate. Along with the photos, I conducted short written interviews that speak to the individual asks of the movement and why people are involved.
1. Who are you?
My name is Andrew Núñez. I’m 27. I’m a queer latino that currently lives in Brooklyn, NY. I work as a social media strategist.
2. Is this your first time protesting?
No, I’ve been to quite a few protests in the past 10 years in support of BLM and other causes. My first time protesting was in support of dining staff and worker’s rights on my college campus.
3. What led you to take direct action for the Black Lives Matter movement? Or What led you to organize your own protest?
Trayvon Martin’s murder was jarring and one of the most impactful moments in my young adult life. It deeply reshaped my values and forced me to grapple with Black life in the United States. Some of my first memories of protests was in response to the government’s inaction in response to George Zimmerman. I mention Trayvon specifically because the movement built around his murder quickly blended and was consumed into Black Lives Matter post-Ferguson. By the time Ferguson began making national attention, the people who had been engaging with Martin’s murder were already seasoned and ready to engage with the systemic problem of police killing of Black people.
4. Was there a moment that changed your perspective on racial inequality in America and if so can you describe that?
Changing one’s perspective on race in America is a long process of unlearning. When I left my home on Long Island, one of the most segregated suburbs in the country, I was supplanted in a thriving community that was a locus to contemplating how race (compounded with class, gender, sexuality, disability) organizes American society into an enduring caste system. For me, my journey to anti-racism came from my friendships, primarily women of color, which pushed me into different academic courses or lectures on campus that challenged my understandings of the American racial landscape.
5. What makes BLM protest today feel different than previous movements we’ve seen or studied?
Polling has shown that BLM has become one of the most effective movements in history. Over 3/4 of Americans now think that racism and discrimination is a big problem in the United States moving the dial over 26% in just two years. That is wild!
Just like so many other Black liberation movements, Black Lives Matter, a movement over police brutality against black people, has rippled into unforeseen areas of American life: workplace inequity, the name of football teams, national monuments, university school names. I don’t know another movement that has seen so much change in such a quick amount of time.
But, I would also note here that while all these accomplishments have been tangential to the main goals of BLM, there hasn’t been much nationwide or even statewide movements. Beyond a few localized victories the demands of the protestors have not been met.
6. What do you see as the demands of the movement?
Defund the police. Stop police killings of black people. End mass incarceration. End racially targeting in policing. End police brutality and targeting. Allow for data to be collected on police interactions for longitudinal studies.
7. What do you think is next for the movement and how would you like to see it evolve?
I often find the policing conversation siloed from a larger discussion of the broader criminal punishment system and incarceration in America. The reality is that there are many George Floyd’s that survive their interactions with the police and find themselves in jail for years or even decades for their offenses. I think of Kalief Browder who spent 3 years on Riker’s Island without ever being charged with a crime. His story is just a part of BLM as George Floyd, Michael Brown, or Breonna Taylor.
8. What do you say to people that are witnessing but maybe feel distant or not involved in the movement?
Not everyone’s role in a social movement needs to be marching but if you feel you are distant or discomfort from the experiences Black people are vocalizing, that stems from a gap in your knowledge. I feel like everyone is slamming people with a library of readings which may not work for you! Try different approaches: podcasts, movies, documentaries, even scripted television shows. There are plenty of resources available to you that can help you further empathize with Black people’s experiences in the United States. What we don’t want is for you to become shell shocked and withdraw from the national conversation.
9. Is there anything else you want to speak on regarding the movement?
Just Black lives matter. Black trans lives matter. Black queer lives matter. Black disabled lives matter. Black incarcerated lives matter.
