This is a little blog where I share my photography and every once in awhile offer tutorials, but occasionally an event happens that shakes the world so deeply that it demands to be addressed, even on platforms, large and small (like this one), that don’t normally deal with current events. As you all know, on May 25, 2020, George Floyd, an African American man, senselessly died at the hands of police officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Following the news of his death, many people across the United States and around the word, of all ages and backgrounds, have demanded that more attention be paid, and more efforts be made, to reform racism, both individual and systemic, against black people in the United States.
For centuries African Americans have faced and continue to face grave injustices. I know lots of work needs to be done to eradicate it and I stand with all those who are calling for self-reflection, solidarity, and reform in this direction. I am committed to joining in these efforts. I can’t simply publish this post and go back to life as usual, never doing another thing again to help put a stop to this problem, and I promise I won’t do that.
I have recently been working hard behind the scenes to update my website and portfolio. In the coming weeks, I will be having a two week period where I will donate 100% of my profits from print sales to a charity or non-profit that works to fight injustices against the black community. I haven’t made a final decision yet on which one, but once I have, I will share the details on this blog and provide a link. The only exception to this will be the sale of prints of horses at local equine non-profits where I volunteer (Nipper Knolls Equine Center and Old Friends at Cabin Creek), for which I’ve already committed to donating my profits from sales of prints of their horses to those organizations.
While I don’t have a very large platform on this blog, I believe even small acts of solidarity can make a big difference when added up together, so this is one of the ways in which I can contribute to the bigger picture. Thank you for taking the time to read my message, and if you have a platform on which to share your support and solidarity (be it a social media account or a blog), even if it’s a small one, I strongly encourage you to use it.
