Heart of Richmond *Bonus* Behind the Scenes

First, it’s been an incredible privilege to have the opportunity to interact and connect with all the amazing individuals featured. In my efforts to capture photos, I try to also capture the stories. Knowing the stories and one’s respective background helps inform me how to project their story through my lens. 

I had conversations about empowering youth via culturally relevant lessons, what it means to be an Independent Woman, historical insight about Richmond, the intersectionality of music and culture, accountability for our community’s health and safety, activism work, sense of belonging, racial justice, and mental health. 

It’s hard to pick the story that had the biggest impact on me, because each of them impacted me differently. One I most deeply resonated with though, was Guillermo (Farmer’s Insurance). We had a highly engaging conversation about Latinx identity and generational complexities. I have a multiethnic identity, but my most culturally aligned identity is Mexican. Guillermo and I shared the history of our family migration path, and the beauty of seeing the rising generation of Latinx youth taking interest in knowing their identity — as that in itself is a privilege not afforded to everyone in the United States. 

Being able to help contribute in amplifying Guillermo’s presence and commitment to Richmond during the COVID-19 pandemic has been great! I learned a great deal in being reminded by him about the importance of having insurance, as life can be unpredictable. Something that really stood out though, was his pride in a tree he planted outside his office, which we had him take a picture with, as it’s part of his story. As an environmental scientist, I loved hearing about this. 

More so, because of this global pandemic, we see more people from our communities finally having a chance to actively interact with our local green spaces/parks. So I’m proud to see Guillermo has contributed to this by planting a tree years back and making our city greener and brighter!

I live by a mantra that I share with others whenever I’m tapped for public speaking gigs, that I learned from a good friend, Beto Vazquez of San Diego, California. That is, “it is your story, don’t let someone else write it for you.” And this is what I hope to instill into Richmond. This is our community, our experiences, and our stories. Let’s reclaim our Richmond identity, and not be a product of manufactured media that misrepresents us, and never quite fully captures the fabric and essence of who and what we are — the city of Pride and Purpose. 

This is part of the reason I initiated my freelance photography gig. The word “shot” always left me with stigmatized trauma from the numerous losses of friends growing up in Richmond/San Pablo. I endeavored to reclaim the word as something positive. Hence, the creation of “Shots From Richmond.” I hope through my photography, I can help project the images of diverse voices and experiences of our community. 

I do this consistently in my scientific endeavors, by representing Richmond. I’m considered a highly prized early career scientist, which I try not to glorify within Richmond. I humble myself, in an effort to humanize science. I want the community to see that highly skilled scientists and photographers look and speak just like them, and live in the same sections as them. 

I’m working on intersecting my science with photography, by developing a book full of photos from the natural spaces I conduct research in. As part of my PhD work with UC Berkeley, I intend to develop a community science project for Richmond/San Pablo residents, so they feel empowered to help inform public policy about the local environment. 

So I would say my role in the future of Richmond is acknowledging that I won’t live forever, but the contributions and influences I have in Richmond will. Perhaps one day, my photos will be part of the Richmond Museum of History collection, highlighting moments of unity and solidarity during a global pandemic and national civil unrest. Or maybe my future grandkids will find old photos, and realize that their grandfather was a pretty cool person. One could dream!

When I watched LauRiece’s interview and her response to why she was in the home daycare industry, her response “These mamas trust me with their babies,” captured the key ingredient of being a true business owner: trust. Trust between customers and business owners allows a local economy to move from one time transactions to ongoing relationships. Trustworthiness is what our Heart Of Richmond stories exemplify and I am so proud of all twelve of our business owners for building on this foundation. 

I hope my role in the future story told of Richmond is to continue and build upon a nonprofit environment that invests in our staff, who in turn provide amazing service for our business and residential community in Downtown, the Iron Triangle, and beyond. I am so proud of our staff, Alicia Gallo and Ronnie Mills, who are the best part of this important work in revitalizing historic Downtown Richmond!