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September 23, 2006
The MLK Project
After finally upgrading to a Pro account, I've started digging a little deeper into Flickr. I've stumbled on some interesting things, including instances of open-source citizen journalism.
In particular, I've enjoyed Rob Walker's MLK Blvd Project. Rob, a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine, explains:
[I decided I would] turn “MLK Blvd” into a sort of “open source” journalism project — interested parties could send in their own photos, or histories, or interviews, or documents. It could be open-ended. It would be a great thing for students of journalism or sociology or urban planning to participate in.
I find the idea of exploring the stereotypes associated with certain urban areas by documenting them in this way fascinating. Too often, our perception of space is influenced by only a few images or a single narrative, especially -tragically- when it comes to black or poor neighborhoods. East Oakland thus becomes defined almost entirely by crime, and MLK/West Oakland by images of urban decay. Nothing else gets reported, and a culture of fear and alienation about our cities spreads.
These pictures of MLK Blvds illustrate some of that poverty, but more often they show the diversity of the MLK experience from accross the country. The beautiful, the touching and at times, even the humorous find their way into the collection of pictures. Together, they create a fuller and hopefully truer representation of these urban landscapes.
Posted by jessehudson at September 23, 2006 10:26 AM
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