Brittany Greeson: Framing Resilience in the Water Crisis of Flint, Michigan
By Alison Reba
For photojournalist Brittany Greeson, the most important aspect of her work is relationship building.
“ Embedding yourself in the community is crucial because you offer a pair of eyes that national media don’ t have,” she says.“ You see what’ s going on on a daily basis.”
G r e e s o n’ s photography series We Fear the Water on the water crisis in Flint, Michigan captures the intimacy of trauma. That is, the seemingly invisible
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I want to keep the attention on Flint. People are still living with this problem. People still can’ t shower. People still can’ t drink their water. That’ s not going to change for awhile.
issues, the things we don’ t immediately think about when we hear an entire community lives with lead-contaminated water.
She photographs Flint residents in the privacy of their homes: a woman rinses chicken in the sink with bottled water as she prepares dinner, a father bathes his child with baby wipes, and a boy brushes his teeth without turning on the tap. These moments captured on camera evoke the visceral.
However, you see more than anxiety and fear in Greeson’ s images. You also witness the resiliency of this community as young people distribute truckloads of water, police officers travel door-to-door to pass out filters to the elderly, and indigenous community members send prayers over the contaminated water and for the people of Flint.
— Brittany Greeson
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