Pack Square, downtown Asheville, North Carolina.

This photo is from a series on images I had taken in the Spring of 2017. The gentleman on the left explained to me that he awoke that very morning with a realization―a paradigm shift if you will―about his old beliefs regarding race. With this new understanding, he fashioned a white robe out of old underwear to mimic that of a traditional Ku Klux Klan robe. The significance of the Vance Monument in the background (Zebulon Vance was a slave owner) was not lost on me, and in the series of images managed to capture both the monument and the gentleman’s interaction with people that passed by out of obvious curiosity. Needless to say, his garment caught many off guard, and went out of his way to explain the significance of his actions that day. The rather chaotically composed shot pictured here was caught as I was balancing my camera and another person’s smartphone who wanted me to help record an impromptu interview with the man.

These are small steps. But Progress has always been an ongoing process of participation.

Several other images from this encounter will be on exhibit in 2018 along with more of my photographs. I will announce details in the near future.

From a series of photos that will be on exhibit in 2018.

All images © Joe Longobardi. All Rights Reserved.
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