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Photography has been a gift—a passion that has enhanced my life for 13 years.
I first learned to use a 35 mm SLR when my husband and I took our first trip to Europe for our 25th wedding anniversary. I had aspirations of capturing the essence of new and exiting peoples and cultures in aesthetically exquisite photographs—my own version of National Geographic. I discovered that you can’t begin to see, let alone capture a community when you spend 24-48 hours in any one place.
Since that summer my camera has taken me on many wonderful journeys. Most don’t require a passport and are close to home. This gives me the opportunity to learn about the people and places I photograph, an ingredient every bit as important as technical skills. Not everybody warmly welcomes strangers who desire to document their private moments, however, some do. The incredible congregation of Bible Fellowship Apostolic Church in East St. Louis, Illinois, is one community that has embraced my camera and me for ten years.
East St. Louis, Illinois is an economically deprived, yet tight-knit community whose roots are in the northern migration from Mississippi. The 1917 Race Riots left its mark on this city, but so too have jazz master Miles Davis, choreographer Katherine Dunham and Olympic star Jackie Joyner-Kersee.
Drug dealing, prostitution and strip joints co-exist with numerous churches and a religiously pious population. Many use East St. Louis as a trash dump, often, of human bodies; weeds and brush have taken over the sidewalks, lawns and empty lots; every third or fourth house is burned to the ground; packs of wild dogs roam the streets. People stay in their houses, doors and windows tightly shut. Still, on Sunday mornings they pour out of their homes to attend church.
The contrasts between overwhelming challenges and raw talent, despair and faith, transgression and transcendence--all existing together, sometimes within the same person--creates a fascinating tension in the lives of East St. Louis residents that plays out in their worship services. I have been so fortunate in that the Pastor and church members have granted me unlimited access to this personal world: their celebrations, passions and joy.
I would not be so presumptuous as to claim that I am now part of the BFAC community—although I am always made to feel so. There are many aspects of their lives that I have never experienced: the day-to day challenges of living in East St. Louis are beyond my comprehension. These families overcome hurdles on a daily basis—health, financial and institutional. Their resourcefulness, strength, positive attitude, passion, faith and talents amaze me—as does their loving inclusiveness. I am of a different race, from a different place, class and religion; still, I am a welcomed participant in their celebrations and fellowship. The connections I’ve made have enriched my life immeasurably.