It’s days like today that I miss the voices, songs, and processions in my childhood neighborhood. There is something about the tradition of mothers and daughters winding their way through the neighborhood, to me that invokes the origins and peace of the Christmas holiday. 
Photos copyright ana elisa fuentes
Asmat, Tribal Woman, Rainforest, Indonesia
Photo copyright Ana Elisa Fuentes
For more information please go here
Ephemera from the Las Fronteras: Sueños, Commadres y Manos or The Borders: Dreams, Godmothers and Hands exhibit I curated for the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission, at a young age. It was such an honor to work with this group of talented Latina Artists, depicting their lives, culture, memories and relationships with one another, hence Commadres. The glyphs beside the text are from Mayan culture, the land my father was born.
Location: Seattle, the question: “Why Are You Here Today”Trayvon Gilliam of Seattle, “I’m here to show support for Trayvon. For justice” When I asked him if he had anything else to say or if he wanted to add anything else, Trayvon replied “Isn’t that enough.”
(l-r) Father and son, Glenn and Jennar, of Redmond, Washington: “This is my son’s first rally. We attended President Obama’s inauguration.” Jennar: “I don’t think it’s fair, what happened to Trayvon Martin. Marissa Alexander fired a warning shot and she got jail. Her husband should have gone to jail. George Zimmerman should have gone to jail. It’s good that people came here to show they care.”
(l-r) Son and mother Myles and Vanessa of Edmonds Washington: Vanessa: “It’s my opportunity to come and participate. We need our justice system revamped. I think the verdict is just another statement of this. Young black men are profiled because of the color of their skin. It’s unjust. I want justice for everyone. I don’t want my son to be another statistic. I am here to represent who I am”
Myles: “Don’t visualize me as a wrong person just because of the color of my skin. Don’t profile me”
(l-r) Two friends speaking: Ahoua of Seattle: I’m here to demand justice for Trayvon. To keep his name alive. I have two young boys of my own. Trayvon did nothing wrong. I do not want him to be forgotten” Holding the flag is Gwen of Seattle” “I’m here because we need accountability. He is dead. This child did nothing wrong. I have granchildren. Are they next? We are all the same. We’ve all come together, sorry we here again.”
At front, is Cheryl of Seattle: “I have black people in my family. I have black grandchildren. We talk about race all the time. All the time. They tell me whats really going on. 70 percent of black men have been, are in, or will be put in jail. My family is humiliated. Humiliated every day. They are terrified. They are frightened to leave the house. Afraid they are going to be the next to get killed. Last week my grandson was blowing kisses from the parking garage to his wife on the sidewalk below. The police stopped him and her, and asked her if that man was bothering her. My grandchildren ask me to take them downtown because they know I will protect them.”
Cheryl of Seattle, above left.
A Line in the Sand. What’s it all about?
If you draw a line in the sand, as the saying goes, you draw distinction, sets boundaries, throw the proverbial gauntlet. Simply say, enough is enough.
This column aims to address the tantamount concerns facing our environment, culture, society, and ethos. There is no better way, in my humble opinion other than to record the visual and opinion of the person on the street.
Think of it as a visual cross section of Americans.
I really love people. It is the joy of my profession is to speak, engage and converse with other people. I really do, love to listen and hear what people have to say.
My method is simple.
I ask a question. Write down the answer. Speak back what I’ve heard.
This keeps me in balance as a journalist, and gives the participant the space to add, ameliorate or subtract from the sum total of our conversation.
My twitter paper, also titled A Line in the Sand, may be found here
Building my website has been an exercise in many disciplines.
Apart from viewing my professional history through my photographs, more and more I realize them for what they are: a record, a document and a mirror of our society.
One of the questions I have been asking myself recently is, how much have we grown as a nation? How forward thinking, have we become as a country?
We call ourselves the greatest democracy in the world, yet we are willing to destroy our natural resources, sell our democracy to lobbyists whose only consideration is their own profit, and undermine our constitution, all in the name of progress?
Progress for whom?
This progress guarantees no future for our children and in the name of this progress we give permission to take their lives prematurely in an epidemic called gun violence.
Not only is Congress giving permission and guaranteeing a shorter life span for children they are starving our children and working families while feeding the insatiable belly of corporations. Corporate greed and religious intolerance galvanizes and energizes the chasm dividing our nation, through a violence that especially targets the most vulnerable populations, children. As George Zimmerman said: “I was doing God’s plan.” His justification rooted in a moral ethic that is supported by lobby espoused religious zeal, dressed up as law, entitling him to take the life of Trayvon Benjamin Martin.
Have we really become a nation that settles for watching “reality TV” while dismissing, denying and refusing to participate in our own democracy?
Why are these same themes repeating themselves?
The life of an African-American males continues to be devalued and discounted, around the country and especially in the very same regions that would take our right to vote.
Women are still fighting, clamoring for our right to own our bodies, to choose, to access healthcare.
The sentinels screaming the religious indignation of ‘Right to Life‘ are the very same guardians obstructing health care outside the womb. The very same group body opposing the collective body of citizens in the right to vote, in equality for all people, of all colors and races, in life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and in our inalienable right in freedom of speech.
In love thy neighbor as thyself, where is the love to feed those who do not have enough to eat because the appetite of corporate greed exceeded their neighbors?
These guardians, the very same sentinels whose right to bear arms will stand their ground in ‘Right to Life.’ Right to whose life?
We are in peril of losing one of our most precious pillars of democracy, and that is our right to vote. It is our collective voice. Our mandate. The navigation that guarantees our waters of democracy.
Our guarantee of an even keel for all, not just the few.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then I have written a few toward this sum today.
These photographs, my copyright, were recorded while on assignment for the Los Angeles Times and will be available via my archive
Today is World Refugee Day, and this begs the question, how many of us will become refugees as a result of climate change? This Haitian woman, is a hurricane survivor who was relocated to a camp in the Dominican Republic at the border with Haiti. TWO PERCENT of Haiti is forested. Simple math tells that the remaining 98 percent is DEFORESTED.
Soil erosion is the result of deforestation, which makes the island nation vulnerable to landslides and floods during hurricane season.
Where there is no soil, there is no food; which leads to hunger.
Deforestation has led to Haiti to depend on other nations, agencies, ,and NGO’s for food.
According to a report published on June 10th, 2015, by the United Nations Internal Oversight Services, “over 200 women were forced into sexual acts with UN peacekeepers in exchange for basic necessities”
Think about the number of displaced persons as a result of hurricane Katrina.
Were they not climate refugees?
This week the Guardian published an article on American’s First People who are now America’s First Climate Refugees.
The people of Newtok, Alaska, like the people of Haiti are, literally, losing the ground below their feet.
Photograph and text copyright Ana Elisa Fuentes
London stroll
I put this in the category of #wildart, a term used in the newspaper world, to find those unusual, unexpected, unscheduled images. The fun of totting the camera along.
image copyright anaelisafuentes
International Womens Day 2013
Why is the Arctic important?
The Arctic is our planets refrigerator, it is our cooling system.
Imagine
You have a refrigerator at home, but the cooling system is NOT WORKING
What would you do?
Most likely replace it. Go out and buy another one.
Right?
The heart of the matter is this
We cannot buy another Arctic.
It is not for sale. We cannot replace it.
The Arctic is unique.
Like you and me, your children. Your pets.
I ask you from my heart to yours,
for YOU, for me, for YOUR children
and for your children’s children, to take one moment
add your name to the GLOBAL DECLARATION making the Arctic a GLOBAL SANCTUARY
One planet. One Arctic.
What are you waiting for?
Can you cite three examples of green energy, technology, and/or resources and do you implement any of them?
Claire R., 34, nanny, of Seattle, Wa.: “bicycling, architectural recycling & buy organic. I implement all three. Organic is a challenge at the end of the month because it is expensive.”
Frieboes Family, 23, 34, & 12, fitness consultant, chef, & student, of Oregon: “recycling, solar and composting. Yes we use all three in our daily lives.”
(l-r) Daniel N. 50, unemployed, Seattle, Wa. & Brian L. 42, window installer, Renton, Wa.: “wind, solar & composting: We were just discussing this. We walk rather than driving or taking the bus. We’re able-bodied. We can drive but choose not to. We take solar showers. Use high-U.V. glass for the home. This makes for lower heating bills and conversely lower cooling bills. All of this makes for less waste and consumption.”
(l-r) Martin D. & Kitti J., 24 & 23, automotive I.T. & hair stylist, of Bratislava, Slovakia: “wind turbines, hydroelectricity, & solar Energy. Unfortunately not, but, we do use solar generated lamps in our garden.”
Emily P., 23, restaurant hostess, Colorado Springs, CO. : “walking, public transportation, & recycling. We walk instead of using my car and additionally use public transportation. We also recycle and compost, limit our water use. We shower one time per day and shower together to save water.”
All replies and photographs are published with the participants permission. Photographs taken using an iPod touch.
A Line in the Sand column copyright, Ana Elisa Fuentes.
My sincere thanks to the participants.
Can you cite three examples of green energy, technology, and/or resources and do you implement any of them?
AnaElisa 