Artist Statement

My writing and photography exist as a contender in the fight against the suppression and distortion of our stories. By “our” I mean people of color. 

 

When it comes to narratives about us, too often the same stories are solicited and spread -- stories of poverty and trauma -- which do little to showcase people of color beyond the problems some of us sometimes face. 

 

Because of this troubling lack of diversity in the kinds of stories published about people of color, my writing and images seek to share our non-dominant narratives -- ones of love, career, family, friendship, healing, joy, wellness, money, beauty, and travel. 

 

By writing about, teaching about, and photographing people of color as multifaceted individuals who have complex, rich inner and outer lives, I undermine the one-dimensional caricatures and stereotypes commonly associated with us, which can function as a major antidote to prejudice, colonialism, and racism, and heal the wounds each has caused in people of color and in the world.