The Story of Us: Reclaiming #Charlottesville

Hi, my name is Ézé Amos. I am a photojournalist living and working in Charlottesville, Virginia. Through my photography, I bore witness to the "summer of hate" that descended on Charlottesville in 2017. After 5 years and little substantive change, I feel compelled to use my photographs to help our community tell its own story about these events and launch a collective conversation about tangible steps to move us toward true healing and a future defined by the unity and resilience that arose in our resistance.

 

The Story of Us: Reclaiming the narrative of #Charlottesville through storytelling and portraits of community resilience is a photonarrative project giving voice to the experiences of Charlottesville residents surrounding August 12, 2017. Photographs of our community coming together in resistance – holding space, being brave, being vulnerable, showing love for each other – will be suspended among the trees of the downtown mall. With the aid of a QR code, viewers will be transported to that exact moment as they hear the voice of the person featured in the displayed photo describing the experience in their own words. This project elevates our stories, pushing beyond the media’s narrative of Charlottesville and creating opportunities for healing through storytelling.

 

To make this memorial project a reality for our community, we are seeking funding in any amount. This funding will go toward covering the costs of printing and installation. The target launch date is August 5, 2022.