“beam me up scotty”
At the beginning of the COVID19 crisis, I often felt like curling up into a ball, I felt very hopeless.
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Image Credit: ©Lola Flash/Courtesy the artist -
“have mercy”
Image Credit: ©Lola Flash/Courtesy the artist It took me a while, but I was able to finally think of the bigger picture. My focus went to thoughts of the people who look just like me, those incarcerated. They are the ones who really know what “lockdown” means. How frightening it must be for my siblings?
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“lean back”
Image Credit: ©Lola Flash/Courtesy the artist Here, in yet another self-portrait, I’m figuring out my visual vocabulary and exactly what I’m saying about isolation, in contrast to the disproportionately affected people in my communities.
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“I Pray”
Image Credit: ©Lola Flash/Courtesy the artist The first evening the MTA sterilized the subway, I decided I needed to rush to my closest station, tripod in hand, to record this global phenomenon.
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“grand central”
Image Credit: ©Lola Flash/Courtesy the artist Grand Central station is such an iconic place, we staged some pretty impressive demos there, in my ACT UP days. Alas, I wanted to show the eerie quietness that felt necessary, but odd.
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“black power”
Image Credit: ©Lola Flash/Courtesy the artist Once I got to Times Square, it was actually a lot busier that I imagined, so I ended up climbing on some steps, feeling above it all and striking a pose reminiscent of the Black Power salute by Tommie Smith and John Carlos, in the 1968 Olympics.
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“I kneel with you – for Kaepernick”
Image Credit: ©Lola Flash/Courtesy the artist The Meatpacking District holds a lot of amazing memories for me. Even though it looks so different, it will always be a special place to me. Here I take a knee, in solidarity with every person who are part of marginalized communities.
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“I can’t breathe”
Image Credit: ©Lola Flash/Courtesy the artist Mr. Floyd’s brutal killing (8 min + 46 sec) by a police officer kneeling on his neck, catapulted the world into another dimension. I believe we will never return to the status quo.
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“demonstrators day 1”
Image Credit: ©Lola Flash/Courtesy the artist I had been hesitant to both participate and photograph the daily protests by the young folks, and just happened upon a demo, coming directly at me. I was struck by the range of skin color and their kindness. A bicyclist fell off their bike and around 10 people rushed over, helping them up, asking if they needed a band-aid. It was pretty beautiful moment.
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“black lives matters”
Image Credit: ©Lola Flash/Courtesy the artist A Mexican couple marching in solidarity with the BLM movement.
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“sign language”
Image Credit: ©Lola Flash/Courtesy the artist Here the demonstrators are learning how to sign Black Lives Matters and F**K the Police. It is super encouraging that this generation understands the need for inclusivity and accessibility.
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“black man with crutches”
Image Credit: ©Lola Flash/Courtesy the artist This young Black man, standing above this massive crowd, embodies the sentiments of the movement—we are broken but still standing. It gives me hope!
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“demonstrators day 1a”
Image Credit: ©Lola Flash/Courtesy the artist I stood in the middle of the street and the young folks quietly walked passed me.
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“nique la police”
Image Credit: ©Lola Flash/Courtesy the artist A succinct reminder that the world is watching.
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“I’m still breathing”
Image Credit: ©Lola Flash/Courtesy the artist On my way home, after learning some sign language, this young persons’ sign caught me eye. The red, black and green calling my name and a spirited reminder of all the amazing homemade signs, that pack a punch.
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“STOP F**KING KILLING BLACK PEOPLE”
Image Credit: ©Lola Flash/Courtesy the artist My avatar, “syzygy”, had been lying low, in awe by the flare up of street activism. Photographing the quiet island of Manhattan, seemed untruthful, so I had no choice but to demonstrate in solidarity.