One of the great photojournalists to come out of the Occupy Movement is Jenna Pope, she is crowd-funding her book on the resistance movement. We urge you to support Jenna’s efforts.
To donate and get more information visit: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/photo-book-an-activist-armed-with-a-camera
THE BACKSTORY
In February of 2011, the massive protests against Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker awoke me from my slumber and changed my life completely. I immersed myself within the front lines of the fight for justice and equality, and I haven’t looked back even once. Fast forward two years and nine months and I am now living in New York City, traveling all over the US and internationally to stand with others who are striving for a better world. In the process, I have been arrested, pepper sprayed, tear gassed, hit with water cannons, and shot at with plastic bullets. I have slept on planes, trains, and buses, outside in the rain and snow, and on strangers’ couches. And, everywhere I go, I have my camera in my hands. It has been an exciting, intense, and unpredictable journey where I am constantly being inspired by the people and movements I capture through the lens of my camera.
THE BOOK
An Activist Armed With a Camera will be a self-published 8×10 hardcover book with approximately 100 pages featuring photos I have taken since February 2011. You will get a view into movements and protests seen through my eyes, as well as the story of my personal experiences along the way. The book begins with the Wisconsin Uprising in 2011, when Governor Scott Walker launched an attack on public workers and many other people in the state through his “budget repair” bill. The people fought back and we occupied our state Capitol for 3 weeks, and what began with just a few thousand people on the first day turned into 200,000 people marching on our Capitol at one point:
Another section of the book will include photos from Occupy Wall Street, when thousands of people converged on the financial district in Lower Manhattan beginning on September 17, 2011 to protest social and economic inequality, among many other issues. I traveled to NYC at the end of September that year and slept in Zuccotti Park for about 10 days, capturing the movement, including the well-known Brooklyn Bridge shutdown where over 700 people were arrested:
Also included are images from the on-going Turkish Uprising, which began at the end of May 2013 when a small group of activists occupied Gezi Park in an attempt to keep it from being demolished in order to build a shopping mall in a part of Istanbul where green space is very sparse. The police responded to the protest with tear gas, water cannons, and plastic bullets. This sparked protests all over Turkey, and tens of thousands of people took over Gezi Park, completely halting construction in the park. I traveled there just a week after the protests began, and stayed for two weeks. I then went back again for 10 days in July:
An Activist Armed With a Camera will also include images from many other protests, such as the 2012 RNC and DNC, the 2012 NATO protest in Chicago, Occupy 1-year anniversaries in NYC, Chicago, and DC, Occupy Sandy (Hurricane Sandy aftermath/recovery), the March 2013 Marriage Equality protests outside of the Supreme Court, the 3-day March for Education Justice in Chicago, and the Forward on Climate Rally in Washington DC:
THE FUNDING
What the funds will be used for:
- The cost of self-publishing and printing the first order of books
- The cost of post cards and prints for the rewards
- Shipping expenses
- My time, effort, and love spent on putting the photo book together
*Since this is a fixed-funding campaign, I will only receive the funds if we reach the $15,000 goal. If the goal is not reached, then all contributors will receive their money back.
Incentives
$15 in funding gets you a photo from the book and a thank you note. (Only ships in United States.)
$30 in funding gets you an 8 by 10 photo from the book (normal cost $40). Add $15 for shipping outside of the US.
$50 in funding gets you an 11 by 14 photo from the book (normal cost $100). Add $15 for shipping outside of the US.
$75 in funding gets you a hardcover copy of the book. Add $50 for shipping outside the US.
$85 in funding gets you a signed, hardcover copy of the book. Add $50 for shipping outside of the US
$150 in funding get you a signed, hardcover copy of the book and your name in the acknowledgment. Add $50 for shipping outside of the US.
$225 in funding gets you the Bundle, includes a signed hardcover copy of the book, acknowledgment in the book, a post card, 8 by 10 and 11 by 14 prints from the book. Add $65 for shipping outside of the US.
$1,000 in funding gets you everything in the Bundle and you get to meet with Jenna Pope. The Bundle will be hand delivered and you can meet Jenna for a meal of coffee. This is only available to people near New York City, Washington, DC or Madison, WI. Feel free to comment with any questions you have over location.
RISKS AND CHALLENGES
As with most things in life, unforeseeable obstacles and setbacks may come up. Although I plan to have the book completed by mid-February, since that will be the 3-year anniversary of the Wisconsin Uprising, there is always a chance that it may take longer. I promise to post updates if any issues should arise, and will work my hardest to get the books, prints, and postcards out within a timely manner.