Portland Protest #2 BW

A picture is worth 1,000 words. What about 1,000 lives? On June 2nd, 2020, over 10,000 Oregonians staged an 8 minute and 46 second die-in on... more

by Andrew Wallner

Title

Portland Protest #2 BW

Artist

Andrew Wallner

Medium

Photograph - Digital Photograph

Description

A picture is worth 1,000 words. What about 1,000 lives? On June 2nd, 2020, over 10,000 Oregonians staged an 8 minute and 46 second "die-in" on Portland's central Burnside Bridge. This photograph and others from this series quickly circulated around the globe and helped to reframe the narrative of the George Floyd Protests from one of disorganized chaos and fear portrayed by mainstream media, to one of power, purpose, and people. There are many lanes to show support on the road to revolution, and I’m glad to have found mine. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, there’s a lot rolling around in my brain, determining where I stand as a creative, as an activist, and as a privileged white man. This is not my story to own, but one we all must help to amplify. I pledge to continue to learn and to listen, to do the homework, to check my privilege, and to support when and where I can. This pivotal revolution, elevated and eternalized by powerful story tellers, may have the power to change a mind, shape a perspective, and save 1,000 lives farther down the road to revolution.

Uploaded

January 10th, 2021