HMH empowers student photojournalists to advocate for social justice
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Jeremy Weinstein-Sears photographed his fellow Summer Learning Experiences members volunteering at The Beacon to cook and serve lunch to Houstonians suffering from homelessness, housing insecurity and poverty.
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Students mounted a photography exhibition at Holocaust Museum Houston, featuring photographs made by the students, who used the lessons of the Holocaust to focus their lenses on social justice.
The one-day exhibition was held July 13, after the students spent a week learning about photojournalism and social justice issues through HMH’s inaugural Summer Learning Experiences program.
Led by HMH’s Alyssa Weinstein-Sears, the program gave the student photographers exposure to stories related to refugee resettlement, immigration, disability services, poverty, homelessness and housing insecurity.
After photographing subjects and conducting interviews in the field, the students had the opportunity to learn how to select, edit, print and mat and their photographs for exhibition, as well as craft an artist statement and write photo descriptions. The students then had the opportunity to speak about their work and answer questions from the public during the exhibition’s opening.
Prior to the class, most participants said they had never used a dedicated camera before. In addition to reporting on social justice stories of their own choosing, students said they also appreciated having the opportunity to set their cameras aside during the week in order to volunteer their time to help with social justice causes.
“This was a life-changing experience,” said Dean Mills, a student from Pershing Middle School, whose body of work included photographs from The Beacon Homeless Services in Downtown Houston.
“Photography is a powerful tool to advocate for social justice and help repair the world,” Mills said.
JHV’s Michael Duke was a member of the program’s faculty.
The one-day exhibition was held July 13, after the students spent a week learning about photojournalism and social justice issues through HMH’s inaugural Summer Learning Experiences program.
Led by HMH’s Alyssa Weinstein-Sears, the program gave the student photographers exposure to stories related to refugee resettlement, immigration, disability services, poverty, homelessness and housing insecurity.
After photographing subjects and conducting interviews in the field, the students had the opportunity to learn how to select, edit, print and mat and their photographs for exhibition, as well as craft an artist statement and write photo descriptions. The students then had the opportunity to speak about their work and answer questions from the public during the exhibition’s opening.
Prior to the class, most participants said they had never used a dedicated camera before. In addition to reporting on social justice stories of their own choosing, students said they also appreciated having the opportunity to set their cameras aside during the week in order to volunteer their time to help with social justice causes.
“This was a life-changing experience,” said Dean Mills, a student from Pershing Middle School, whose body of work included photographs from The Beacon Homeless Services in Downtown Houston.
“Photography is a powerful tool to advocate for social justice and help repair the world,” Mills said.
JHV’s Michael Duke was a member of the program’s faculty.