Let Me Tell You My Story
Along with the rest of the world, I watched as the refugee crisis unfolded. To my shame, I wasn’t completely aware of the perpetual influx of refugees in many other parts of the world, this was my first understanding of displacement. I watched news story after news story of families fleeing the most dire of situations. I felt helpless and really at a loss of what I could do. After the story of Aylan Kurdi, I had enough. I felt sick. I believe that when you ask God to help others he will enlighten you on how you can do that. So I prayed. A few months later, I had dream where I was photographing refugee children and sharing them with the world, so that the world would SEE and DO something about it. I connected with a fellow friend and filmmaker who was just as invested in the situation as I was. I spent weeks contacting organizations who all declined my offers. In a last ditch effort, I was connected with others who were interested in creating art that would help others to see things as they really are. A few weeks after our encounter, one fundraising campaign later and a fast form of a charity happened. It has been two and a half years since I went to Greece and Germany to photograph displaced people in refugee camps. I had no idea what to expect. I was scared, I had no idea what to expect. I envisioned angry people who felt frustrated by a world that seemed to leave them to their own devices. I heard of the fights breaking out in the camps. I’ll admit, I was worried. I was grateful to be a unique camp of amazing control and organization. Greece was not (is not) an ideal situation for refugees but this camp was the ideal given the situation many of them could have been in while trying to start new lives. I listened to horror story one after the other. I took photos of wonderful people all with their stories, lives and feelings behind those faces. While it has changed my life dramatically, it is a current issue that is still a major problem that affects the lives of individuals all over the world. I feel grateful to have been a part of the beautiful book that carries their history and stories forever. I constantly wonder if the photos made any difference. If somehow they are in better circumstances because of it or if any of the readers have been moved to help in this crisis. Maybe. The possibility is enough in itself. May we all remember that each one of us has something to give.
“The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil but by those who watch them without doing anything.”
-Albert Einstein
