Advice for anyone weary and worried over all the goings on of Trump’s cabinet nominee hearings — take a break from what you can’t control, and head over to Latino USA’s spotlight on a portrait series from L.A. based artist Walter Thompson-Hernandez.
Melanin(a) is simple in concept. Thompson-Hernandez shoots interracial couples (black and brown ones, specifically) in L.A. environments that are familiar to them. Alongside their photos, he includes a brief statement from each couple, expressing their read on the current social and political climate, and their hopes and fears about the future in a changed America.
In my circle of friends, scattered across New York, the Bay Area, and D.C., I think I may know more couples who are interracial or interfaith than not. I haven’t counted. But it seems likely. And yet when I do start to think more about that, I realize how few of those pairings are black and Latino. Even in the most diverse of places, we all walk paths where our sightline is limited. We need to actively look in new directions to begin to grasp how much we don’t see — much less understand.
Every image is captivating, and I can’t steal them, so please do go scan the story yourself (or check out more of Thompson-Hernandez’s work here).
Here’s one that I will remember, from Erin Whalen and Garrett Kynard:
“Black and brown love is a perpetual affirmation of our lives as queer men of color in this era. It means having a home to process what we go through as black and brown men. It also means partnering with our families to help them go through what is happening in the Trump era because they are scared about the hate and oppression that we go through.”
spotlightchange.com 