When our TBL Administrator was growing up, she naturally thought that the best way to avoid getting a darker complexion was to cover up her body and avoid the sun at all cost.–and that this was a good thing, even encouraged. It wasn’t until she was around nine when she realized that her skin tone would never be “lighter.” And honestly, this is still a struggle that she deals with from time to time.

Understanding race relations as a social construct is a struggle for many individuals who are considered “other.” They live in divided worlds trying to act or fit in with peers who they are told they are equal to; and yet, they are caught in narratives that begin and end with the color of their skin.

So what does this have to do with photography? “A picture is worth a thousand words” or so the saying goes…