Building a business in The Bronx is different from building a business in other parts of the country. For one, a business owner has to fight the stereotypes about The Bronx — e.g., that there isn’t anything of artistic value here. I’ve lived in other places, but I’ve always returned to The Bronx because there is a level of honesty and realness here that you can’t experience anywhere else.
America in microcosm
The Bronx is a microcosm for America because the people here, and everywhere, need quality education, health care and jobs. The message is to eliminate hate and to embrace people who are different, people of color and the working poor.
Who gets to measure whose lives are important and whose lives are not important? I am them, and they are me. Against all odds, there is so much creativity among people of color. For people who are not inheriting wealth, we need to support each other and to do our own financial backing as much as possible.
Always grind the system and grind hard. Get to know people; most of them are willing to help. I’ve had mentors along the way. The African-American photographer and artist Jamel Shabazz met with me and gave me incredible advice. I admire his work; the people captured in his photos look like the people I know. Another influencer in my life is photojournalist Michael Kamber, who is the founder of the Bronx Documentary Center, a nonprofit gallery and educational space located in the South Bronx that devoted to documentary projects from around the globe. Always keep in mind that real political change happens when people see their true worth.
______________________________________
Rhynna M. Santos is a world-class photographer whose work captures the people and places of The Bronx. She’s the daughter of Latin Music legend Ray Santos, the composer and arranger who won a Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011. In 2010, two of Rhynna’s photos were chosen in the Photo Espana contest. Last November, Rhynna was one of the photographers selected by Curate NYC, a nonprofit civic venture that provides New York City visual artists with free exposure to curators. A collection of Santos’ work, “Window to the Bronx,” showed in Madrid, May 2-23.