Fitting that after last night’s Net Tuesday on social media for change, that today is blog action day and that the topic is poverty.
I had already decided to do my post as a photo essay. This is my first photo essay, and I’m mostly happy with it.
Anyway, what I was thinking is that we often only think of poverty as being something in “some sections” of town, but really it’s everywhere. Since I moved to Vancouver in late July I’ve been more keenly aware of poverty. Not just in the Downtown Eastside, but in the “nice” neighborhoods, the malls, places where it seemed incongruous to me.
Having been personally touched by poverty, I wanted to try to express that not only is poverty everywhere, but that we have grown so accepting and accustomed to it that we ignore it.
For the action part of this exercise I would encourage you to donate to the organizations that are doing work on the ground helping people. I’m going to be donating to the Union Gospel Mission.
As it would happen, as I was coming towards the end of my walk I ran into a couple guys selling calendars with pictures from the Downtown Eastside. The Hope In Shadows project looks amazing and the 2009 calendar inspired to my pics in black and white as well.
The rest of my Flickr set from my walk is in this slideshow:
Tris Hussey is a writer, teacher, blogger, and speaker on all facets of Internet life, WordPress, and social media. If you are interested in having Tris speak, teach, lead a workshop or consult for you, feel free to email tris [at] trishussey [dot] com.
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Great photo essay, Tris! And it’s true – poverty touches EVERY one of us EVERYWHERE.
Raul´s last blog post..The measure of progress in poverty alleviation – Blog Action Day ‘08
Thank you Raul. Maybe more attention will bring some change.
these photos totally affected me. insightful and an unbiased commentary about life on the streets in Vancouver. It’s important to see these things through an unprejudiced lens, which you have accomplished with your photos. excellent work!
Bex, thank you very much! I’m very happy that people are seeing what I was trying to convey. Whew. Maybe more photo essays are in the cards!
Fantastic images just full of life!