Father’s Day Note

Captured at a rally in front of the Los Angeles Police Department on July 9th, 2016

Today is being celebrated as Father’s day, and I’m thinking about the recent unjust closing of Philando Castile’s case and the families of those affected by police brutality. I am thinking of how it will always relate to myself, as a woman of color. I brought my father with me to this rally last year, because I recall so many stories which I heard growing up, where my father was profiled and targeted by the police and other members of the society we live in, due to the color of his skin. I remember being young and wondering why my father spoke of his experiences in relation to white people, so often. As an adult, I fully understand that his experience is a DAILY one: from working at a major corporation as a minority to driving a long ride home with the chance of an officer pulling him over for whatever reason they might feel like on a given day. I want to acknowledge his experiences and all that he’s sacrificed in life for his ENTIRE family since he was a child himself, in compensation for the father he never had. I love you Dad and I see you.

I would also like to note that the woman in the featured image blew me away as she got the protest started before there was even a microphone available for her. Until she lost her voice, she continued to shout and lead the crowd in chant and speech. This moment was so raw that a part of me didn’t want to photograph it, in order to give it my full attention.