It was 2011 when I began working on the streets of Brazil with marginalized populations. As a photographer this It was 2011 when I began working on the streets of Brazil with marginalized populations. As a photographer this included documenting life in the margins and inviting these beautiful people to tell their story with me. I had no idea the way they would be affected by the megaevents hosted in their country over the next 5 years (the Olympics and World Cup). I’ve always been a huge Olympic fan, without context for the other side of the event, the stories that unfolded behind mainstream news coverage. The Olympics are a narrative of our interconnected cultures. Rio 2016 opened with camera shots from above Christ the Redeemer statue, one of the seven wonders of our world. What profoundly marked the Rio games were relocation issues and wars over the favelas, which were created partially in response to the way slavery in Brazil had ended. However, few know that Christ the Redeemer was built in honor of Princess Isabella who is credited with ending slavery in Brazil. She was married to a French prince, and the statue was sculpted in France before being shipped across the Atlantic. There is controversy over Isabella’s motives for ending slavery – and so it seems fitting that the princess decided there should not be a statue of herself built on the mountain, but of Jesus who she declared, “Is the true liberator of mankind”.
Skip ahead to Paris 2024 hosting their 3rd games on the anniversary of France’s liberation during WWII. The slogan for this year is “games wide open” with a focus of shifting attention out of the stadiums and into the streets; ideally making the events accessible for everyone in the city. However, according to many reports, this has not been the case for the homeless and street workers who have again allegedly faced mass evictions. There is a new narrative unfolding that goes beyond sports as we chase this dream of a positive social legacy for all citizens.
The stories from the Olympic spotlight began informing my world view already in childhood. With the building division and polarization of our world, I find the tradition of the Olympic games to be increasingly significant in providing a period of unity and education every 2 years. Education is a crucial aspect of development; personal, familial, community, national, and global. The simplest form of teaching is story telling. As a child, the stories that entered my home through the coverage of the Olympic Games, had a profound impact on my young mind. Watching the short documentaries between events that depicted stories of the athletes in their home countries and the great odds they had overcame to stand in those stadiums made dreaming and travel seem tangible to me, in my small rural PA community. And on an even deeper level – hearing the rich history of our planets many nations coming together, painted a picture of the peace and unity we so long to finally see on earth. But I was a child, and I didn’t know about the cost paid by host nations or the impact on local communities. I didn’t realize that behind the larger narrative of the Olympics there was often another, marginalized voice that went unheard. Both matter, and I came to understand this while living in Brazil during an era where this developing nation hosted both the world cup and Olympics. I came to understand this because the unheard voice was the voice of the population I served – women in trafficking, children in the streets, and those in deep poverty. This revelation came to a head in the aftermath of the Rio 2016 Games. And here I will pause for a short side trail explaining the significance of two organizations which were foundational in helping me carry this message.
I hope that from what I’ve written so far, you had already come to the conclusion that I love learning. However, traditional education was a life long struggle for me. I worked in social services all throughout college and decided to move overseas before I had finished my degree. In reality, I had decided not to finish my degree because at this time, online education was not common. Eventually for immigration reasons, I was told without a BA, I could not stay in Brazil long term. After much searching for a solution to this setback, I came upon Thomas Edison State University (TESU). Not only did they translate my years of professional work into life experience credit, but they launched my Olympic research. In 2017 I needed to choose a topic for my Capstone project (the culminating research of my degree in arts and psychology). And so began 2 years of photographic documentation and interviewing around the effects of the Olympics on communities in social vulnerability. From this research came a book, a web exhibition, and a diploma culminating in 2020 when nearly everything ground to a halt and the individuals I had written on again faced extreme hardship due to the covid pandemic. I decided to use the online exhibition to direct viewers to contribute funds to an emergency care center in the slums of Rio during what would have been the Tokyo games. All the while the global shutdown caused an even greater yearning to see the marginalized prioritized and international experiences exchanged. During the border closures, I found myself stateside with a looming question – if the borders didn’t reopen – what could I do from rural PA? Was there any point to even telling this story I had spent the last years documenting? Was there any legacy I could leave with my Capstone Project? Enter a friend who told me about the Capstone Legacy Foundation. An umbrella organization that helped in the start up and operations of new non-profits. The name itself in that moment seemed to prophecy the response to my question. Maybe there was a way to carry this story forward. In 2021 I opened a Ministry Charity Project under Capstone Legacy Foundation focused on healing through the arts and advocacy through image. I have been incubating and defining this mission under their covering ever since. During a time of unexpectedly being stranded in my home nation after years abroad, dealing with great isolation due to pandemic restraints, and feeling very alone with my dreams for the future, Capstone was a lifeline. I was overwhelmed with the encouragement of a community of pioneers who were committed to what seemed impossible for me. Without their support on paperwork and financial accountability, I would have not known how to walk this out. My first project was called the Olympic Anthem: as told by a River in January.
Which leads us to our current project and the purpose of this blog. I will be continuing my research in France 2024, exploring the culture, issues, individuals and marginalized stories that come beside this great event in July. A time of witnessing, documenting, interviewing, photographing, and listening to what history wants to say in this moment. It might not seem important, but the Olympics are more than a global spotlight; they are literally a seven-year campaign of citywide development that culminate in two fleeting weeks of international celebration. It is a moment to be caught; so that we can go on to teach the invaluable lessons that come from it. Growing as people and societies who cling to hope and unity. I believe that dream, is more than a two-week dream; that dream is about inspiring nations and educating our children beyond borders.
My hope is that if nothing else, you would be inspired to participate in the games from behind your TV screen. That you would dive into the opportunity to stand in the shoes of those who have come from vastly different cultures. That this two-week international truce, would remind you that unity is possible, but it involves investment. If you would like to invest in supporting the continuation of this project: The Olympic Anthem Paris you can do so below.