The Family of Man
by Laura Eschbacher, Communications Intern
President Barack Obama believes that recognizing the humanity of all immigrants will jumpstart reform of the United States’ damaged immigration system. In his Inauguration speech, he elaborated on the theme of humanity.
“A nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous… As the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.” -Barack Obama
Last semester, I watched a video about the history of photography and stumbled upon something interesting: The Family of Man. It was a photography exhibit that began in New York in 1955, curated by Edward Steichen. The collection of five hundred photos included peoples and nationalities from around the world, engaged in everyday activities, celebrating, and going through emotional hardships (just to name a few). It was a visual attempt at proving that a common thread runs through us all—the human experience.
This exhibit caught my attention because the photographs (which have also been compiled into a book) had messages and meanings that didn’t need a verbal or written explanation. A photograph is universal language. Through a photograph, people can see love, childhood, joy, death, and war, and everyone will understand. Everyone can relate because humans everywhere experience these things.
“America has nothing to fear from today’s immigrants. They have come here for the same reason that families have always come here, for the same reason my father came here – for the hope that in America, they could build a better life for themselves and their families.” –Barack Obama
I’m proud to have a president who acknowledges commonalities. I hope that he can represent that to the world by following through with his promises of reform—through immigration policies, but also through international relations and sending aide to our fellow citizens of the world who need it.
As a temporary staff member of the International Institute, I hope to also set an example of understanding and acceptance in my own little corner of this country. I can’t think of a better place to start than the IISTL.
More information on the Family of Man Exhibit: http://www.remus.museum/html/en/museum.php?id=1010
Sample of the Photographs: http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0870703412/ref=sib_dp_bod_ex?ie=UTF8&p=S002#reader-link
Obama’s plan for Immigration: http://www.barackobama.com/issues/immigration/
February 21st, 2009 at 9:08 pm
Many people look to Obama with so much hope in a change for the better. However, he can’t accomplish anything without us, the citizens. We all need to put forth effort in establishing peace, we all need to strive to understand each other. We can’t keep waiting for someone else to take action, that’s called bystander apathy and will result in absolutely nothing. Also, we can’t feel sorry for ourselves thinking no one else cares, notices, or feels our pain. The Family of Man is a great example of how everyone is connected. We all suffer in similar ways, it just doesn’t always show.
February 27th, 2009 at 10:21 am
Jessica made a good point–the citizens of the United States have to take action themselves. For the rest of you readers, what do you believe that entails? What can we do politically, or just in our daily lives? And what about those peopple who want nothing to do with understanding others?
March 1st, 2009 at 7:35 pm
That exhibit looked so touching. I wish I had had the oppotunity to see it. It was the perfect way of saying that even though we all come from different cultures, eat different foods, listen to different kinds of music, work very different jobs, we all experience the same emotions in just growing and developing relationships as human beings. It was such a powerful exhibit, and I wish more people knew about it and thought about it on a daily basis.