Demanding Change, Bearing Witness
Photographs from the Wilson Garling RISEUP! Collection
Please be advised that this exhibition contains graphic historical content that may be difficult for some viewers. In addition, the language included in some of the imagery and titles of these photographs may reflect outdated, biased, or potentially offensive wording that has been kept intact from its original source materials to provide context for archival purposes.
01/05
Demanding Change, Bearing Witness
Demanding Change, Bearing Witness explores the use of photography as a mobilizing tool to capture demands for social justice from everyday individuals. Through the ‘click’ of a camera’s shutter, both the photographer and the printed photographs transform into a means of protest and an act of resistance. The images in this exhibition showcase the efforts of ordinary Americans who used photography as a tool to bear witness to injustice and demand steps toward progress, inching us closer to an ideal America.
Photographers supported social justice activists who called for change by providing evidence of social dissatisfaction and resistance. Photography is highlighted, both as a weapon of choice in the fight for justice and as a medium that makes connections between the past and present. We celebrate the bravery of those who saw the consequences of dissent firsthand and still chose to persist. Created by students for students, Demanding Change, Bearing Witness hopes to educate and inspire the next generation to stand up, to give voice, and to make the changes they want to see in the world.