August 2021 | An update on our BIPOC Photojournalism Program

Good News

The Narwhal Fellows

In February, The Narwhal extended three paid fellowships for BIPOC photographers in our program. The chosen candidates were Alia Youssef, Ramona Leitao and Robby Dick.

Alia’s photo essay showcases BIPOC female-identifying and non-binary individuals who are making the outdoors more accessible for their communities.

“It’s been so inspiring to see how once their relationship to belonging in the outdoors changed through those activities, they’ve been able to access the healing that comes with being in nature and moving your body.”

“As a portrait photographer, these photoshoots have pushed me to get more comfortable photographing movement in settings I can’t control … I’ve also had to let go of a few fears in order to get the shots I want, whether it’s walking through spiderwebs, hoping not to run into a bear, or climbing a 25ft cliff (with a harness),” Alia said.

Ramona has been working on a multimedia piece on land access for BIPOC farmers in Greater Toronto Area. She hopes to see her story published by the end of the summer.

“I've learned so much from this story that I'm working on. There's currently so many angles to approach it, and I really do think I can create more stories from this topic alone,” Ramona said.

Robby’s photo collaboration with The Narwhal is about “who we are as Kaska Dene and why the caribou is important to our way of life.”

PHOTO EDITORS - A CALL TO ACTION

Here are three ways you can help our program:

1 - Host a virtual tour of how your publication works and how you hire photographers and accept pitches.

2 - Hire one of our talented mentors. All our mentors volunteer their time for this program and are all very experienced in their craft.

Yellowknife, Pat Kane | Vancouver, Jimmy Jeong | Edmonton, Amber Bracken | Ottawa, Justin Tang | Toronto, Carlos Osorio | Toronto, Brianna Roye | Toronto, Christopher Katsarov Luna

3 - Offer an Internship to one of our talented mentees.

You can reach out to us at RoomUpFront@Gmail.com

Published work

Q&A With A Mentor

Have a burning question? Meet with a mentor!

While all the spots for our 2020/21 program have been filled, we don’t want that to be a barrier for emerging BIPOC photographers seeking mentorship. Get in touch with one of our mentors, or simply read about what they wish they knew when they started out as photojournalists.

In case you missed it - Another Great Program Run Out of Toronto

The BIPOC Photo Mentorship Program

The BIPOC Photo Mentorship Program is a list of mentorship opportunities available to emerging BIPOC photographers in all areas of the industry.

BPM began in Toronto last fall and since that time, the program has helped launch over 120 mentorship opportunities in Canada and further afield. Ten months later, we’re excited to announce that we’re building a new website that will house the mentorship list plus further resources for those in the community.

Join the program! At this point, we are eagerly looking for both mentors and emerging BIPOC mentees to participate. For more info and to register, find the links to mentee and mentor surveys here: www.bipocphotomentorship.com

Keep your eyes on the site and our Instagram (@bipocphotomentorship) for the official launch of the new site with an up-to-date list of mentorship opportunities, more resources, and community building initiatives.

Any questions can be sent to info@bipocphotomentorship.com

Sometimes our biggest successes are the little steps we take toward a dream.

Photo and reflection by Kayla MacInnis

In this past year, I haven't been inspired to take photos. Sometimes, the headlines are so heavy that inspiration for taking pictures falls to the wayside. I think that is something we can all stand to give ourselves grace for—it's okay to slow down and take a pause.

Being a part of the BIPOC community often means caring so deeply about what is happening in our communities that it can feel pretty paralyzing to be the one to tell that story. Desmond Cole once said, "the false promise of objectivity in journalism reinforces white supremacy," and I think about that often. The BIPOC community is rewriting what it means to be a journalist today. Sometimes, all we can do is watch from the sidelines and let others tell the stories because they are too heavy for us to carry. It doesn't mean that we will always feel this way, but it does mean honouring yourself when you feel like you need to take a step back.

Although I have no published photos this year, I have continuously worked toward my goals as a journalist. I am still in school full-time, going from someone who struggled with their ADHD so severely that they dropped out three times to a 4.0 student. In the past month, I have completed my 40-hour Wilderness First Aid, Marine First Aid, Mental Health First Aid, Small Domestic Vessel Basic Safety, and Small Vessel Operator Proficiency (SVOP). What does this have to do with Photojournalism? A lot, actually.

I am about to enter the third year of my Journalism degree at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, and when I finish, the dream is to tell the stories of voices less heard, merging both the written word with photo essays. As someone who has been a sailor most of their life, having the chance to work as crew on a conservation boat and see firsthand the efforts that people are going through to make a difference means the world to me. I truly honour the Indigenous philosophy of the 4 Rs: respect, relationship, reciprocity, and responsibility. One of the things I noticed most when taking all of these safety courses was that they were predominantly full of white males. This made me realize that it isn't only one industry that needs to make a change, which is why I am so grateful to be a part of Room Up Front.

As I struggle to find my way into the world of Journalism, I remember when Eric Thomas (the hip-hop preacher) said, "as common courtesy to the generation coming behind me, I was about to leave that place better than I found it." To me, that's what Photojournalism is—a commitment in photo essay format to leave this Earth a better place, or at least a place where the stories of those less heard are told.

Food for thought

TW: racism, anti-LGBTQ topics, swearing. Click on the image to listen to the full podcast episode

How To Be A Better Ally

This podcast episode hosted by Dr. Laurie Santos talks about why being an ally isn’t just about believing in inclusion, equity and justice. It’s also about taking action on those beliefs.

Part of the episode emphasizes going from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. Being an ally means embracing the awkwardness of defending a cause that’s foreign to you. Being an ally means accepting that you’re probably going to screw up. You’re not always going to say or do the right thing. But when you do, apologize, learn from it and do better.

And don’t expect to be rewarded when you do better because being an ally means it’s not about you. It’s not about how you’re feeling when you have to talk about difficult topics or how you’re feeling when you see hate crimes happening in front of you.

Room Up Front