Through Our Eyes-04/11/17

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Michelle Calnan, 52 of Knoxville, Tennessee sits in her bed after getting little sleep the night before due to symptoms of Benzo withdrawal. “I don’t want to be in this body. I’m tired of seeing the same trees out of the same window feeling the same way,” said Calnan while she wept in her bed. Calnan was prescribed Klonopin ,an anti-anxiety drug for over 20 years that is designed to be used for a maximum of four weeks. She is currently attempting to taper off the medication which is a lengthy process taking anywhere from three to six years.|Michael Noble Jr.

Rosalino Santiago Garcia and his wife, Sabina Garcia Pacheco, wait to have a lasso placed on their shoulders by their sponsors during the couple’s wedding ceremony in Santa Ana, Oaxaca, Mexico on March 25, 2017. The lasso is a staple of Hispanic weddings and symbolizes the couple’s everlasting union. The two were officially married five years prior in a civil union, but it wasn’t until March that they could afford to throw a proper celebration after they saved enough of the money that Rosalino earned as a migrant worker in the tobacco fields of Kentucky.|Nick Wagner

Siena Heights University Asia Gardner sprints to the finish line as she anchors in the second heat of the 4×100 meter race during the Hilltopper Relays on Saturday April 8, 2017 at Charles M Reuters Track and Field Complex.|Shaban Athuman

Indiana Tech’s Jordan Partee falls into the sand pit after jumping 6.64 meters during the Hilltopper Relays on Saturday April 8, 2017 at Charles M Reuters Track and Field Complex. Partee would finish in 8th overall with a 6.74 meters.|Shaban Athuman

**This past Tuesday, WKU students skyped with members of RIT’s NPPA student chapter and exchanged photos for a joint critique session. WKU students discussed and selected the best photos from RIT. They did the same with us. Check out what RIT selected as their top photos from this past week! A big thanks to RIT for making the collaboration happen!

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Through Our Eyes-03/28/17

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Rafey Wahlah of Lahore Bunjab, Pakistan has been in the United States for four years. Wahlah is currently the President of the Pakistani Student Association at Western Kentucky. This association was founded three years ago by students of this nationality. Wahlah stated, “When I first came here there were only four Pakistani students, a year later there were about 30; as I graduate this year, I fear we won’t have many Pakistani students attending this University to continue the PSA organization.”|Ebony Cox

Mariam Athuman, 5, is bathed in the afternoon light at her home in Roanoke, Virginia. Her family moved to the United States from a refugee camp in Tanzania in 2008. She is now a citizen.|Shaban Athuman

Much hangs in the balance for Rafey Wahlah, a senior at Western Kentucky University. Wahlah, the current president of the Pakistani Student Association at WKU, will graduate this spring with a degree in Political Science and hopes to return home to Lahore, Pakistan where his family resides but has also begun to seek out work in the United States while he is still eligible under the OTP student visa work program that allows foreign college students enrolled in US schools to begin their careers in the US for a short time in hopes of being selected for an H1-B visa, the first step in the green card process.|Alyse Young

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Stitched Past by Sawyer Smith

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Stitched Past

WKUPJ student Sawyer Smith examines the impact of the social enterprise company Krochet Kids who’s mission is to empower women to move out of poverty through education and work.

Sawyer traveled to Lima, Peru to document their program in one of the most impoverished neighborhoods.

View her project here: https://sawyersmith.atavist.com/stitched_past

Posted in: Photojournalism Projects Class, Student Work, Web Narratives

On Poisoned Land by Gabriel Scarlett

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On Poisoned Land

How the Navajo still suffer from a country’s flirtation with nuclear war.

WKUPJ student Gabriel Scarlett examines the effects from decades of uranium mining on the Navajo Nation’s health, water and environment.   According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, “Nearly four million tons of uranium ore were extracted from 1944 to 1986; left behind were more than 500 abandoned uranium mines, four inactive uranium milling sites, a former dump site, and the widespread contamination of land and water. Only recently has the government attempted to assess and mitigate this contamination, but full reclamation of the land is unlikely.”

To see more about the in-depth project visit: https://gabrielstephenscarle.atavist.com/on-poisoned-land

Begay with two of her sons, Lewis and Leonard, who died of cancers at 25 and 42, respectively. She counts at least a dozen of her close relatives who she believes died of exposure in or around the mines.
“Do you want me to show you where I dreamt of the water running?” Desaire Gaddy muses. “All through here, just blue water and dolphins.”
Posted in: Introduction to Photojournalism, Photojournalism Projects Class, Student Work, Through Our Eyes, Web Narratives

The Way We Love by Lauren Nolan

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The Way We Love

Love may be the only experience we all share. It makes us human. It’s part of our story. Love brings us to the extreme ends of the spectrum of human emotion, from feelings of overwhelming joy to unparalleled heartbreak. But what does real love look like?

The Way We Love is a documentary and multimedia package by WKUPJ Senior Lauren Nolan, exploring how we love in the modern world.

Experience the entire piece at http://thewaywe.love

https://vimeo.com/189903404

Posted in: Photojournalism Projects Class, Student Work, Web Narratives

At the end of the American Dream

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At the end of the American Dream

Six years ago,Ayaz Sadal left his family in Pakistan with the hope of creating a better future for himself in the United States.

Now married, Ayaz is kept apart from his wife while awaiting her visa. The change in politics has Ayaz questioning their future in the United States and wondering if his sacrifice for the dream has been worth it.

View the complete story by Alyse Young

 

Posted in: Class Work, Student Work, Web Narratives

Tough Love

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As they wait for their boxing coach Nick Baries, to pick them up for practice, 'Man-Man' and 'Juicy' talk amongst themselves following a quick game of basketball with their cousin, March 17, 2016. There are only six days left until the brothers compete in their first title championship at the Indianapolis Golden Gloves tournament.

Tough Love

After spending over two decades in and out of prison, James Davis’ dream of success was deferred. But when he adopts his two nephews he also receives a chance to redeem his life.

Alyssa Pointer’s story follows the Louisville, Kentucky trio as they use the sport of boxing to provide discipline and goals that all three can build upon.

Link to complete story

Posted in: Class Work, Photojournalism Projects Class, Student Work, Web Narratives

We Fear The Water

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How the push of a button has ignited an almost year-long battle over clean drinking water and how residents of a City stuck in financial turmoil are trying to cope.

 

Bishop Bernadel Jefferson encourages the crowd to take action on the issue of Flint's water quality during the Healing Stories on Racial Equity speaking event at the Flint Youth Theater on Saturday, March 22nd, 2015. The event was hosted by Flint Strong Stones and supported by the Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion and included many other conversations about the quality of water and it's connection to African-American neighborhoods.

 

It was April 2014 when, at the push of a button, the Flint River — which hadn’t been treated for daily use in over 50 years — became the city of Flint, Michigan’s main water source. The responsibility of water treatment was passed from the Detroit Water and Sewage Department to the shoulders of the local water plant. Government leaders cited a potential savings of around $5 million over the course of two years for a city staring into the face of financial emergency.

As water plant operators used more chlorine to fight bacteria in the water, the presence of trihalomethanes (THMs), an EPA regulated carcinogenic, spiked. Many began buying bottled water and would do so for the coming months, refusing to drink the toxins coming from their taps.

Later that year, elevated levels of lead were found in many of the City’s homes, as well as in the blood of children. State officials however, did not alert their citizens. It wasn’t until an independent study conducted by Virginia Tech showed the rise of lead levels that state officials began taking action.

Today, the City of Flint is under a state of emergency declared by recent mayor elect Karen Weaver. It’s citizens are left coping with a failing infrastructure, a lost trust in their government system, and a looming sense of fear for their health. READ MORE

Posted in: Class Work, Picture Stories, Web Narratives

In Their Shoes

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United States Muslims find themselves unwanted by the communities they live in.

In Their Shoes

In the aftermath of attacks in Paris and San Bernadino, there lay a new weight on the shoulders of young Muslims living in the United States. The search for acceptance and fight for religious freedom became a daily challenge for Muslim students on campus under the pressure of stereotypes and cultural misconception.  SEE THE STORY

Posted in: Class Work, Student Work, Web Narratives

Los Rancheros

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Los Rancheros

Marcos Espinoza, 17, who is half Guatemalan and Mexican is born and raised in the U.S. He’s a son of illegal immigrants. He represents a generation of Hispanics, the biggest and youngest minority group in the States currently counting 54 million people (2013). Never before in the history of America has a minority ethnic group made up such a large share of the youth in America. One-in-five schoolchildren are Hispanic and every fourth child born is Hispanic according to Pew Research Center.

WKUPJ Student Betina Garcia introduces us to the Espinoza and Barrillas family, giving us a better understanding of the changing population that makes up the U.S. today.

 

 

Posted in: Photojournalism Projects Class, Picture Stories, Web Narratives