There are many perceptions of what Washington D.C. is and looks like as the Nation’s Capital. While it is a secondary home to many influential politicians, it is also home to a rich history of resilient people. A city that was once considered “Chocolate City” now struggles in the face of late Capitalism gentrification as rising costs continue to burden individuals during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Amidst a time full of turmoil, individuals across the city have come together to provide mutual aid, virtual resources, and a sense of community through activism, all while navigating the limitations due to the virus.
When deciding to cover the election as a freelance journalist, I was driven to capture the personal and the communities forming, buzzing, and thriving at a grassroots level. In one of the most polarizing elections this country has ever experienced, our society has also gone through a civil unrest ignited by the pandemic – exasperating all the other epidemics that have been accumulating. While the mainstream channels focused on the oppositional energy of our current situation, I set out to document the many story lines overlapping in D.C as we experienced the same series of events. The result of these individuals taking action in the narrative of their own lives weaves together a visual story of one city’s journey of partaking in a system for the first time while simultaneously working to dismantle it.
