I was searching for a way to add to the world-wide cultural tsunami happening in real time. George Floyd's death was horrific and did not need to happen. The lives of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Philando Castile, and many more should not have ended. Black Lives DO Matter. Mothers and fathers around the world give birth or adopt babies with the utmost love and desire for them to succeed and not be a statistic. I am supporting Black Lives Matter. I do support police who make a difference – the ones who want to help people and make positive change in communities. I AM against systemic racism wherever it exists, most especially within policing and the court system. I don't know the answers. I wish I did. I am listening. I am observing. My husband and I are having clear conversations with our teens. We want them to see everything happening and to remember it. Learn from it, change, and not repeat it.
I DO know I'm a photographer and our family has a strong love of photography. A picture is worth a 1,000 words. I wanted to feature the work of photographers around the world who are sharing their images of peaceful protest. Not the looting, agitation, police brutality, but the peace together as a unifying force. People bonding as they never have before. What it can and does look like.
“Easily my favorite photo of the day. A BLM protestor carries a far-right ‘counter-protestor’ to safety as fighting breaks out in Waterloo, London. Tell me again how ‘both sides are the same’. They’re not, they never have been + they never will be. This image will become iconic.” Twitter user: Lauren Townsend
Thousands of people demonstrate in Cologne, Germany, Saturday June 6, 2020, to protest against racism and the recent killing of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis, USA. His death has led to Black Lives Matter protests in many countries and across the US. A US police officer has been charged with the death of George Floyd. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)Demonstrators raise their fists as they attend a protest against racial inequality in the aftermath of the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, at Piazza del Popolo in Rome, Italy June 7, 2020. REUTERS/Remo Casilli
TOPSHOT – Demonstrators attend a Black Lives Matter protest to express solidarity with US protestors in Melbourne on June 6, 2020 and demand an end to frequent Aboriginal deaths in custody in Australia. – Tens of thousands of Australians defied government calls to stay at home on June 6, spilling onto the streets for Black Lives Matter protests in major towns and cities across the country. (Photo by William WEST / AFP) (Photo by WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images)
FRANKFURT, GERMANY – JUNE 06: 30.000 people gather together in tribute to George Floyd during a protest against racism and police brutality on June 6, 2020 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Eight minutes and 46 seconds is the amount of time Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin held his knee on the neck of Floyd, an African-American, which resulted in Floyd's death. Similar demonstrations have been taking place across Europe, with over a dozen taking place across Germany today. Floyd's death, as well as the at times brutal recent response by police against protesters in the USA, have struck a chord with many people of color and others in Europe. (Photo by Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images)A protester breaks down in tears during a protest in Marseille, southern France, Saturday, June 6, 2020. Protesters marched against the recent death of George Floyd, a black man, who died after he was restrained by police officers May 25 in Minneapolis, that has led to protests in many countries and across the U.S. Further protests are planned over the weekend in European cities, some defying restrictions imposed by authorities due to the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
Atlanta, Georgia Protesters link arms during a demonstration. Photo Credit: Elijah Nouvelage/Getty ImagesActivists march over the Manhattan Bridge during a rally on Saturday Photo Credit: Justin Heiman/Getty Images
Dr. Zola Chihombori Quao speaks at a rally near the California Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., of medical care professionals,, denouncing the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police on May 25. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)Demonstrators gather to peacefully protest in Carrollton, Texas, Tuesday, June 2, 2020. Protests continued following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on Memorial Day. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Protesters pray at a site for George Floyd. Photo Credit: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta Police Officer J. Coleman (left) and protester Elijah Raffington of Sandy Springs, fist bump while an Atlanta Police bicycle unit kneels with protesters in a symbolic gesture of solidarity outside the CNN Center at Olympic Park , June 3, 2020, in Atlanta. Photo Credit: Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution/AP
New Zealand Woman Prays Some 4,000 New Zealand protesters demonstrate against the killing of Minneapolis man George Floyd in a Black Lives Matter protest in AucklandMICHAEL BRADLEY/AFPHouston police chief Art Acevedo and Charlene Davis embrace after Davis prayed for him as she stood in line at a public visitation for George Floyd, USAEric Gay/AP Photo
Credit: Title photograph is of Raven Fulton, RN from Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. “I will never be afraid to use my platform to speak up for my people. I vow to always use my seat to bring our issues to the table & demand action on them. I will use my voice to amplify yours. And I will teach my offspring to do the same.”
