How Sway?
I'll admit I don't/didn't know a lot about what's going on in the world. Specfically, the Black Lives Matter movement and protest. But I'm learning and educating myself. In addition, I don't follow much mainstream black culture (if I even know what that is; countless rappers with "Lil'" in their stage name?; big brands like Nike and Adidas?; fried chicken?; what's a stereotype, what's real, and what's created by the music industry?), so when I saw "How sway?" I had to read it ten or more times to make sure I wasn't misreading it.
While editing these photos, I looked up the meaning: Reaction to someone doing or saying something that is completely impossible. Unheard of, not realistic or hard to understand.
How Sway? = "How is that possible?"
"How Sway?" was invented by Kanye West during his rant to radio host, Sway.
Please see Kanye West and Sway interview: Raw and Real on Sway in the morning
Kanye repeatedly yells, "How Sway?" (Source: Urban Dictionary - www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=How%20Sway%3F)
Seen at the Black Lives Matter protest at Payrow Plaza in Bethlehem, PA, on June 4th, 2020. (facebook.com/LVStandsUp/photos/a.131399981664923/17623686...)
It was the first organised protest I had been to and it was a much bigger crowd than I was expecting. There wa very little protection from the sun and it was 30.5ºC (87ºF).
I was standing at the back of the crowd so I had the ability to move around with all my camera gear. Hence, it was difficult to hear what each speaker was saying because there were only some small speakers setup at the front of the speaking platform. This is something future protests should be mindful of; if you have a message to share, make sure it can be heard (through the A/V system). From what I could hear, the messages were similar to what has been expressed on social media. Something I had not heard said prior to this protest was: If you have privilege, use it. I think many of us do have privileges and I will do my best to use mine to lift those in oppression. Photography and video are one way I know how to do that.
Most people were wearing masks due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In general, that makes me frustrated because I don't recognise anybody and not seeing someone's mouth (or someone seeing mine) inhibits the emotion they're expressing. I can be smiling ear-to-ear with sunglasses on and the person I'm looking at has a seemingly stern and dismissive appearance on their face. I can't wait for the masks to be done with.
How Sway?
I'll admit I don't/didn't know a lot about what's going on in the world. Specfically, the Black Lives Matter movement and protest. But I'm learning and educating myself. In addition, I don't follow much mainstream black culture (if I even know what that is; countless rappers with "Lil'" in their stage name?; big brands like Nike and Adidas?; fried chicken?; what's a stereotype, what's real, and what's created by the music industry?), so when I saw "How sway?" I had to read it ten or more times to make sure I wasn't misreading it.
While editing these photos, I looked up the meaning: Reaction to someone doing or saying something that is completely impossible. Unheard of, not realistic or hard to understand.
How Sway? = "How is that possible?"
"How Sway?" was invented by Kanye West during his rant to radio host, Sway.
Please see Kanye West and Sway interview: Raw and Real on Sway in the morning
Kanye repeatedly yells, "How Sway?" (Source: Urban Dictionary - www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=How%20Sway%3F)
Seen at the Black Lives Matter protest at Payrow Plaza in Bethlehem, PA, on June 4th, 2020. (facebook.com/LVStandsUp/photos/a.131399981664923/17623686...)
It was the first organised protest I had been to and it was a much bigger crowd than I was expecting. There wa very little protection from the sun and it was 30.5ºC (87ºF).
I was standing at the back of the crowd so I had the ability to move around with all my camera gear. Hence, it was difficult to hear what each speaker was saying because there were only some small speakers setup at the front of the speaking platform. This is something future protests should be mindful of; if you have a message to share, make sure it can be heard (through the A/V system). From what I could hear, the messages were similar to what has been expressed on social media. Something I had not heard said prior to this protest was: If you have privilege, use it. I think many of us do have privileges and I will do my best to use mine to lift those in oppression. Photography and video are one way I know how to do that.
Most people were wearing masks due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In general, that makes me frustrated because I don't recognise anybody and not seeing someone's mouth (or someone seeing mine) inhibits the emotion they're expressing. I can be smiling ear-to-ear with sunglasses on and the person I'm looking at has a seemingly stern and dismissive appearance on their face. I can't wait for the masks to be done with.