Remember, Remember
What Unites the States
A New Beginning
In January, a mass of Arctic air sank down to Texas, settling a chill on the US as votes were cast in the Iowa caucuses, the traditional starting gun for the presidential race. I arrived near midnight in Arkansas. It was –20ºC (-4ºF) and cold enough to freeze my skin on the camera.
That trip to the US would determine whether the Gingers of America project – which I planned to run until the presidential inauguration a year later – would fly or not. Could I reveal something new about this nation by photographing its redheads? Or maybe just remind people of something they had forgotten?
As I made portraits, I soon realised how large, complex and beautiful the States and their people are.
The TV news might focus on the nation's division (after all, it’s great for clicks), but the more I travelled the more I saw everyday people seeking another route: that of continuity and connection. When those quieter voices aren’t heard, we fixate on the division, and the division spirals. I felt that my portraits and interviews could make those quieter voices a little louder.
What connects humanity?
We all share the same problematic script of the human story within our DNA. This code tells us the history of global migration, that we have all come from somewhere else. That all of our heritages are complicated and messy. While this realisation may not end or erase trauma or suffering, it is a necessary damper on the instinct to hate. Seeing the other (or the enemy) as human changes how we interact with our neighbours and fellow global citizens, whether in times of peace or war.
The ancient value of seeing others as equals was based on their imago dei but later updated and declared as self-evident by the Founding Fathers, yet it is not always in evidence today.
Going Forward
With my Gingers of America portraits, the aim is to see, regardless of political outlook or cultural inheritance, that we are essentially all made of the same stuff. And sometimes it shows.
So far we have documented individuals from across 30 states but I need your help to make more portraits, to afford the time to write up interviews and also find new applicants to improve this Gingers of America map. Subscribing to this weekly substack helps, as does collecting these postcard sets.
Here are some nice people I have met so far this year. I am in Oregon later this month, please do share this article and apply here.
The Smiths, Viriginia
Chris: “You feel just now there isn’t a lot that unites people. In a lot of ways it feels like America is being pulled apart at the moment rather than being pulled together. One thing pulls us together, probably more than anything, it is the differences that pull us together.”
Lakia Jones, Cherokee Nation/ United Keetoowah Band, Oklahoma
“Helping each other brings people together. Like, “I know we haven’t talked in 20 years but can you help me with this and I’ll owe you back that favor?” And no hassle, no strings attached, no nothing. Because in Oklahoma not everybody will agree on everything. Yet there’s this sense of getting along and working together. I like that.”
Gabriella Cray, Washington D.C.
“I think everybody in America loves their family for the most part. Most of the people I know think family is very important to them. Friendships are important too, and I feel like food brings people together: food, art, and creativity. I think people have to stop looking for opportunities to be so divisive. They often have personal issues that they need to resolve, so they come out and create division because they need an outlet. I think that’s really where the division stems from.”
Kacy Highfill, Missouri
“Across the nation, every state has some countryside that they are proud of. It's always exciting for people to get away from the city and take a trip to the countryside. There's a common desire for the country, but you don’t want to be there for too long!”
Nate Gilmour, Arkansas
“I just want to be a good friend to them [other people], to be encouraging, to talk to these people about how to believe in Jesus Christ. That’s a powerful thing that I can do.”
Nicholas Modaressi, Maryland
“Being a barber has helped me. I see cops from my trouble days and they literally walk up and say what you up to? I’m like, oh dude, this is my shop, why don’t you come on in and get law enforcement discounts? That’s how I put food on the table.”
Thomas Beall Jr, Maryland
“What brings people together? I definitely see day-to-day that coffee does that. I’m shocked that some people are so open about their views. There’s actually a group of people that come in every day, and they’re all from different backgrounds or belief systems, and they all sit down and kind of try to solve the problems of Annapolis, so that’s interesting. A lot of them don’t think they could have those conversations without the coffee.”
Thank you for reading, here are some other free Gingers articles from the last month you may have missed:
In Search of Native American Gingers
No Gingers Were Harmed. When Art Becomes Meme.
Gingers in America. Myth Busting and Map Making.
Amazing work! These portraits are stunning, and your writing is amazing!
Another insightful and very relevant post, thanks!