Black Lives Matter

It is truly painful that we still have to utter these words after years upon years of injustice. While  The Souls Shot Portrait Project focuses on the cost of gun violence as it relates to everyone, and is open to all who have been affected by it, if one looks at our entire collection of portraits it is clear that, as in most entrenched systems in our country, people of color are disproportionately affected by this epidemic of gun violence.

Moreover, our portraits reflect a tiny, tiny percentage of the actual number of victims. One mother who was to participate in the upcoming 4th edition of the project was looking forward to having us honor her slain son with a portrait. She had to back out when her other son, another young man of color, was also shot and killed. She has lost her only two children. She is too distraught, to put it mildly, to participate.

Pain inflicted by a death or maiming due to being shot is far reaching and deeply, personally felt by families and communities. We hope you will reflect on each of our portraits and each of their stories. We hope you will take notice of the inequities these portraits represent. We hope you will be moved to act