The word I got was Strike. When I saw what I had been assigned the first definition that came to mind was of a workers strike. So in my Photo Essay I chose to use stock images as well as historical photographs to attempt to not only depict a workers strike but also make a larger point about the place of the working class in America and indeed throughout the world. The first photo is of a desolate Detroit hallway, I chose this photo in an attempt to invite the reader into the world of the working class. The next photo is of child laborers during the industrial revolution. For each of the photos that depict the lives of the working class I chose black and white, to visually represent not only a somber tone but also how these people had been held back by society. In this image the workers face the camera and their faces are clearly visible to create a human connection. The next image depicts child laborers in a coal processing plant being overseen by older workers. Their faces are turned away to show that they are few among many and that the work they do is repressive and dehumanizing due its poor conditions. The next image in stark contrast, is in color and depicts men in tuxedo’s walking down the street, smoking cigars drinking champagne and wearing pig masks. This is representative of the wealthy living large and indulging in excess while the poor are forced to toil away. However such inequality creates unrest. The next image shows child laborers involved in an idle demonstration, holding signs and clearly showing their frustration with the aforementioned conditions. Though they do face the camera the image is from farther away than the second image in the slideshow, to once again depict the workers as part of a whole rather than individuals. The next image shows a man reading a newspaper and smirking; the implication being that he is wealthy has heard word of unrest among the workers but is not terribly concerned by it or empathetic towards it. As with some of the other images he does not make eye contact, because this man is intended to represent the wealthy as a group rather than one specific individual. The next image depicts a more violent protest (the Bread and Roses strike of 1912). Workers carrying American flags rush through the streets, their numbers swollen, their anger directed, championing ideas of equal opportunity and the American dream that the flag represents. They are met by a wall of police officers depicted in color as agents of the wealthy elite. They do not exhibit the excitement and fervor of the workers instead appearing calm and unaffected by the brewing storm. The next image, perhaps the most literal of the bunch, depicts a match being struck, representative of the conflict between corporate interests and workers, between rich and poor. The spark of one uprising grows and spreads the next image depicts a towering inferno which is the peoples anger. The next image shows the same site but from farther out, with more fires burning in the distance to show the spreading of the workers movement. But the image is also from farther away, there is more smoke and less flame, the fire seems smaller. In the next image the fire has ended and left destruction in its wake. The workers have struck back against the factory owners winning a victory of some kind. Perhaps better working conditions, or a higher wage. They have shown the power of workers to unite. The next image is a stock photo of people in a boardroom looking at something on a laptop and smiling. This is representative of the factory owners rebuilding, getting ready to pick up the pieces after the workers rebellion. The next image shows a new factory being built, perhaps one where the workers will be treated with more humanity and offered better working conditions. But unfortunately, the next image shatters this hope. Echoing the first image we see similar looking workers lined up and looking at the camera. Their conditions have not changed much, in fact now there are even more of them. But there is a silver lining; where once the workers were children now they are shown to be grown men. In a very literal sense this could be viewed as the passing of child labor laws, however I prefer to view it as the workers preserving their dignity and displaying the fact that the experience of fighting for equality has made them stronger. There will be more striking in the future.
Daniel de Castro 