ADA TRILLO | BLACK LIVES MATTER
The 2020 Black Lives Matter Movement is a time of radical change in the United States. It has become a wake-up call for citizens to learn about the Black experience in this nation. The systematic oppression facing them has existed for centuries; it is ever-evolving. This has led them to be at risk of dying at the hands of police, such as George Floyd.
The American minority should not have to live in constant fear, especially when their tax dollars fund these institutions.
Injustices like these are now challenged. I have believed it essential for Non-Black people of color to unify for the cause.
Had it not been for the products of African American movements, many minorities could not be in this country. Beyond that point, this is a matter of humanity. If other minorities become allies, they can set the stage for the Black community to be heard.
As a Latina fine art photographer, I believe it is my responsibility to help this cause. Therefore, I created this series.
This series was shot throughout Philadelphia’s center city—my home. Initially, I wanted to document any potential police brutality that could face the protestors. The goal was to provide an extra veil of safety for those who marched. The photographs were taken over a series of days. Many of them are images of separate protest groups that I walked alongside.
Ada Trillo
“For this project, I worked with two cameras. Per preference, I used a Leica Q with a fixed 35in. Lens. If I could not get close enough to a subject, I used a Nikon tele-lens. By using their monochromatic photographs, It was my intention to create a sense of timelessness within the images. I wanted the photos to be a nod to the Civil Rights era of photography.
It should remind the viewer of how long the Black community has fought against discrimination.
My work is—primarily—concerned with human rights issues facing Latin America. I’ve documented forced prostitution in Juarez, Mexico, La Bestia, the migrant caravans of 2018 and 2020, and the struggles of asylum seekers directly affected by Trump’s Remain in Mexico policy, in my hometown, Juarez, Mexico.
Photographing the Black Lives Matter movement was a natural progression for my fight against injustice.”