Flag Rally – Columbia, SC

After the tragic deaths of the Charleston 9, a rally was organized to remove the Confederate Flag from the grounds of the State House in Columbia, SC.

I was asked to document the event for my first internship.

To date, out of all bodies of work that I have done, this one remains the most debated and controversial one among personal friends of mine.

The issue becomes should one document or be present when others around them may or may not support the cause. For some, my presence at this rally signified that I was in support of taking down the flag.

My public response has remained and shall: is it my role as a photographer to be influenced by associates or friends based on political beliefs? If I had worked at CNN, ABC News or another major news outlet, it would have been said “oh she’s just doing her job.”

This event was and is now a part of South Carolina’s history.