Images activate and inform, carrying the reality on the ground to a much broader public. Today we celebrate the power of two image makers as participants and witnesses, sharing their take on the protests. 

- Mia

Lynsey Weatherspoon

“History is taking place during a global pandemic. Frustration and resilience is present at each protest. There are moments where healing is present. There are times when rage against the system is present. All emotions are valid as we fight COVID-19, systemic racism, and injustice among Black people in America and around the world. We, as Black photographers, represent the very people who are affected most, and we’re finally showing the world what we feel and see consistently in our lives. My hope is that our images prove that we can better humans solidarity and persistence. Each and every Black life matters.”

- Lynsey

May 29, 2020 — Protestors in Atlanta, Georgia for the death of George Floyd and other African Americans killed by police brutality. Lynsey Weatherspoon — Atlanta, Georgia

May 29, 2020 — Protestors in Atlanta, Georgia for the death of George Floyd and other African Americans killed by police brutality. Lynsey Weatherspoon — Atlanta, Georgia

May 29, 2020 — Protestors in Atlanta, Georgia for the death of George Floyd and other African Americans killed by police brutality. Lynsey Weatherspoon — Atlanta, Georgia

View more of Lynsey’s work on her website and on her Instagram.

Gabriella Angotti-Jones

“There are not many female-identifying Black Americans practicing documentary photography. It recently hit me that my ethnicity does not hold me back, it propels me forward. Our perspective is a gift and is needed. It’s a powerful tool that helps us approach stories in a historically different way, and that’s needed in legacy media.”

- Gabriella

LOS ANGELES, CA — MAY 27: A protester lays unconscious on the 101 freeway near downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, May 27, 2020 in Los Angeles, CA. (Gabriella Angotti-Jones / Los Angeles Times)

LOS ANGELES, CA — MAY 27: Los Angeles Police Department officers form a police line in riot gear after a Black Lives Matter Protest in solidarity with other national demonstrations to show outrage over the death of George Floyd in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, May 27, 2020 in Los Angeles, CA. (Gabriella Angotti-Jones / Los Angeles Times)

LOS ANGELES, CA — MAY 27: Protesters cross Broadway heading up towards Hill Street after a Black Lives Matter Protest in solidarity with other national demonstrations to show outrage over the death of George Floyd in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, May 27, 2020 in Los Angeles, CA. (Gabriella Angotti-Jones / Los Angeles Times)

LOS ANGELES, CA — MAY 30:
CHP officers are hit with projectiles after firing flash bangs into a group of protesters during a protest in solidarity with other national demonstrations showing outrage over the death of George Floyd in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, May 30, 2020 in Los Angeles, CA.
(Gabriella Angotti-Jones / Los Angeles Times)

View more of Gabriella’s work on her website and on her Instagram.