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Black Mothers Act Out What Might Be The Future Of Their Sons In The US (28 Pics)
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Artist Jon Henry started working on his photography series Stranger Fruit back in 2014. What began as a protest against senseless police killings of black people ended up being a lot of other things, too. Most notably, it's an introspective mirror that allows viewers to examine their own take on the subject.
The people we see in the photos are real mothers, posing in their own environment with their actual sons, reenacting what it must feel like to lose them. The mothers are isolated. Alone. Empty. When the trials are over and the protesters have gone home, when the news cameras are gone and nobody is around anymore, the mother remains on the site forever. There's no peace of mind; the scene will always haunt her.
These mothers understand that this could happen to their family at any moment.
More info: jonhenryphotography.com | Instagram
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Untitled #44, Crenshaw Blvd, Ca
this is why we say black lives matter because people need reminding that POC are humans too.
From a rural area in North Minneapolis to a street corner in Jersey City, Henry has visited a lot of places for the series. "I chose these locations because I could find subjects there," the photographer told Bored Panda. "The locations are where the families live and work. I'm looking for areas that describe the city and/or state from a geographical and architectural point of view."
Even though these shots are staged, they radiate authenticity. "The families choose whatever they are comfortable with wearing, so that helps the natural feel," Henry explained. "The comfort level with the family also helps the feel of the images. These aren't actors, they are family that [really] consider these issues."
Untitled #35, North Minneapolis, Mn
The photographer wanted the mothers to pose deadpan to appeal more directly to the viewer. And they do. They look directly in our eyes, as if asking, how do we feel and what are we going to do about this. "The viewer can make their own decision on how to respond to the images," Henry concluded.
Untitled #42, Central Los Angeles, Ca
Untitled #5 Parkchester, NY
This is heartbreaking...no mother should have to fear for child's life based on solely the colour of their skin.
Untitled #33, Jersey City, Nj
This is so sad. No mother should have to fear for her son's life because fo their skin.
Untitled #19 Magnificent Mile, Il
Reminds me of Michelangelo's Pieta in the Vatican. http://www.italianrenaissance.org/michelangelos-pieta/
Untitled #25 Montgomery, Al
Untitled #17 South Side Chicago, Il
I'm just imagining the people who just don't care and it makes me SMAD!!
Jon Henry, “Untitled 39, Santa Monica, Ca”
Untitled 53, North Little Rock, Ar
I have cried over every one of these pictures. people treasure and love each other.
Untitled #3 Harlem, NY
Untitled 46, San Francisco, Ca
Untitled #9 Newburgh, NY
19unarmed black men killed by police in 2019-5000black men killed by black men in 2019......downvote me all you want this is the truth this is reality ....as a multiracial person i do not fear police nearly when being alone at night than i fear ppl who are like me because chances that i am gonna be killed by police when not commiting a crime or acting insane are miniscule,chances of me being killed by my own ppl for shoes money or even simply for being in the wrong hood are very big.....BLM can only start to matter if we stop killing eachother how we gon demand respect and that our lives matter if we celebrate those rapping about killin our own!
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We do not protect and serve each other. However, the police should be there for me to call when I need help but I fear they would kill me. I rather die from a bullet than a racist. I rather die because somebody wanted my shoes, clout in the streets, or to teach me a lesson than to die solely because of my skin color. How many white students have Bern shot at these schools by their own peers but laws and safety measures are being enforces. I guess they should put that energy towards something else and stop wasting time.
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And how many black people were killed by other black people?
The white on white murder rate is almost the same as the black on black murder rate. However, a black person is more likely to be shot by the police. Do black lives matter now?
Police have much more interaction with blacks. Could it be the rate of crime in black neighborhoods is six times that of white neighborhoods?
This is also why there needs to be a UBI. Most robbery crimes are committed by people who are desperate. Most gangs are successful at recruiting because they offer power, money and respect to people who have lost hope or are scared. It's time to stop ignoring the needs of the people and start giving some relief.
How about accepting that actions bring consequences and stepping up to help ourselves instead of expecting others to do it for us.
Exactly.
Unarmed? I doubt even that figure is true. But even if so, being unarmed doesn't make you innocent. How many were attacking police?
Sure, thirteen year old unarmed boy definetly being a threat to two grown Policemen... 😑 People like you are main Part of the problem.
PERIODT.
I'm going to do much worse than downvote you. I'm going to tell you that no one really cares. Black Lives Matter doesn't mean a thing to most of the people who say it or read it or march for it or anything. And most people don't have a clue what it means. They know what it doesn't mean.
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I rather be killed by another black person than a racist.
Next time you meet a mother whose child died in senseless street violence, be sure to tell her, "Well, at least he didn't die at the hands of the police!" That will make her feel so much better. <--- Do you see what is wrong with this picture?
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PeachPossum haha
This is heart wrenching. I am not black, but I am a mother, and cannot fathom losing my son. But to lose them to this everyday violence is beyond comprehension.
Why no one fears for the daughters? They are also more likely to get arrested than white girls.
Girls are also trafficked for sex and abuse.
Since someone will probably say this is tacky, tasteless... See Michelangelo's famous PIeta. Every mother's sorrow over a dead son. That was the artist's point. The humanity. And that's the point of these photos.
Spot on. Pietà was amongst the first things that came to my mind too. And this series is using art and religious motifs in a very clever way, to make sure we understand it's more than politics - it's a matter of empathy for the fellow human being. It brings out so many points and questions.
Thank you, @Daria B.
Very well said, Leo. Thank you for sharing this information. Several of these images from this series were featured in National Geographic earlier this summer. I found these photographs eerie and haunting (as they were likely intended). I also like how each one of the mothers, daughters, sisters, or wives was staring blankly/sometimes defiantly into the camera.
Don't be a criminal then the chances of you getting shot will be reduced. And that applies to everyone whether black, white or any other race. Not rocket science is it?
Are you...seriously implying... over and over...that all black people are racist? Have you not watched or read the news since the invention of the cellular phone?
If that's directed at me explain what's racist about what I said please. Also wth is an asshat? 😂
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Racist asshat
That was not this photographer's point - the point here is that black mother's fear that their black sons will be killed by white police officers and this is the way they will end up - they are perpetuating the bogeyman idea of the police - no this is just some BS propaganda disguised as some sort of humanity/ sorrow thing you are talking about - had it been introduced as a mother's anguish rather than as a blm statement -t would have been more poignant.
Literally framed as mothers’ anguish. You lack empathy, Ken.
Agree. Especially since BLM is run by Marxists. If you look up Marxism I think you'll find that people are a commodity to communists. Humanity means nothing.. May not like it but that's the truth.
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19unarmed black men killed by police in 2019-5000black men killed by black men in 2019......downvote me all you want this is the truth this is reality ....as a multiracial person i do not fear police nearly when being alone at night than i fear ppl who are like me because chances that i am gonna be killed by police when not commiting a crime or acting insane are miniscule,chances of me being killed by my own ppl for shoes money or even simply for being in the wrong hood are very big.....BLM can only start to matter if we stop killing eachother how we gon demand respect and that our lives matter if we celebrate those rapping about killin our own!
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