Inspired by Black Lives Matter protests, a photo essay created by Westover junior Lucy Bird has been featured on the social media platforms
of News Decoder, a global educational news service for young people.
Nelson Graves, the founder of News Decoder, congratulated Lucy for her “powerful” photo essay.
“You have put a great deal of thought into your work,” Graves told her, “and you have executed the project with care and skill. Yours is the latest in a string of excellent photo essays by Westover students. Well done.”
As noted on its website, News Decoder “partners with schools around the world to teach media literacy and journalistic skills that extend students’ horizons and understanding of global issues. Our mission is to help students develop skills and behaviors that make them better global citizens.”
In describing her work, which is entitled “The Civil Rights Movement Haunts Us Even Today,” Lucy wrote, “I offer a photo essay as a haunting reminder that the fight continues decades after the Civil Rights Movement.”
“With my photography project,” Lucy stated, “I wanted to point out the parallels between the U.S. Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s and the Black Lives Matter movement because we are still fighting the same social issues.”
“I first found common protest signs used during the Civil Rights Movement, then juxtaposed those images with Black Lives Matter signs to show the similarities between the movements,” Lucy explained. “I scanned the negatives into a computer and photoshopped pictures of people taken from the Civil Rights Movement onto my background.”
“Adding these images gave my work an eerie feeling that the people who fought to end racism towards Black people back then cannot rest in peace because we are still fighting it today,” Lucy concluded. “They are haunting us to this day.”
Caleb Portfolio, instructor of Photography and Filmmaking, said, “One of the first things Lucy told me she wanted to do in our Large Format photography class was to take pictures at Black Live Matter protests. If you’d ever used a large format 4x5 camera, you know how difficult it would be to lug a huge crate and tripod around in the middle of a protest.”
According to Kate Taylor, Director of Westover’s Rasin Center for Global Justice, “Lucy’s passion for activism and engagement has been clear this entire year — she’s been very much involved with the work of our student-run planning committee for our themed-year, Climate of Change, as well as community service activities.”
Kate added, “Even as a new student this year, Lucy has really embraced all of the opportunities to connect with the world beyond Westover. News Decoder is one such way that our students can explore their own perspective in relation to global topics and current events. She did an excellent job of embracing this chance to powerfully share her insights and commentary on racial equity on this global platform of News Decoder.”
As a photography student, Caleb noted, “Lucy is a hardworking problem solver, and when the fall term had us bouncing between working on campus in the darkroom and at home digitally, Lucy found the opportunity and potential in combining a traditional film process with digital manipulation. The images she created are nightmarish and eerie reflecting her take on the current racial crisis. Lucy recognizes the power art has to create conversation and raise awareness about things that are happening in the world.”
