I've been finding myself getting wrapped up in the world behind my screen lately and need to touch some grass.
I've not been out in nature as much as usual due to several life changes. While I'm hoping that changes soon, I can post more landscape photos here in the meantime.
Here's a photo from Flatside Pinnacle in the Arkansas Ouachita Mountains, captured in late 2016.
Marlon Weems notes that his grandfather fought in WWI. Two of his uncles fought against fascism in WWII and then fought in the Korean War.
His parents would go to the Arkansas state capitol in Little Rock in the late 1960s to march for civil rights. For doing this, they were beaten by Arkansas State Police and his pregnant mother knocked down the capitol steps.
He writes, "I have been thinking about these things a lot lately."
"I think about how all of them—my grandfather, my uncles, my parents—put their lives on the line for this country, each giving in the best way they knew how. They did these things for a nation that did not acknowledge their humanity. As much as I love and miss them all, I’m glad they aren’t around today. If they were, they’d want me to explain a few things."
Why has nobody talked about Little Rock, AR straight-up demolishing the I-30 Cloverleaf Interchange, freeing up blocks of walkable, streetcar-accessible parcels downtown? (April 2019 vs. December 2023)
As a part of my year-end file organizing, I finally migrated some older photo edits that pre-date a 're-branding' of my photography business around 2018. I care much less about keeping consistency in my photo watermarks so I'm excited to start sharing these photos here.
Here's a shot from the summit of Pinnacle Mountain outside Little Rock, AR captured March 2017. I've previously dedicated this one to the "Arkansas Doesn't Have Mountains" crowd.
> "Clear through lines between the summer 2020 uprisings and COINTELPRO"
>
> @/aaron_con_choco
and I [@/kandistmallett] investigated federal arrests of activists in Little Rock.
>
> Police, FBI, DHS tracked them for months. Then some got charged w/ 30 year minimums.