Homicide Detective Khary Mason
Homicide detective Khary Mason
Detective Khary Mason of Detroit's homicide division is teaming up with two photographers, including one from the Detroit Free Press, to create an international program that will link Detroit's youth to other kids around the world.
Under the program, "Capturing Belief," eight kids from Detroit and six from Nairobi, Kenya will photograph and write about themselves and their communities with the help of mentors. They'll then share what they produce with their counterparts overseas.
Shots by participants aged 12-18 will be made into a book.
The first session egins this month and runs through January. The creators hope to take the program to other cities.
The two photographers working with Mason are Romain Blanquart, who works for the Detroit Free Press, and Alex Miguel of New Jersey. Besides being a homicide detective, Mason is also a professional photographer. In fact, he says, over the weekend, he shot a wedding in New York with Miguel.
Mason takes a philosophical approach to photography.
"To what degree do images observed in life determine the belief in what is possible?," he asks during a phone interview with Deadline Detroit. "images actually make up who we are. You wear what you wear because you saw it somewhere else. Images make up a large part of our individual identify. "
The effort is described on a GoFundMe page:
We know there is beauty everywhere, but not every child has the chance to be nourished by it and in some neighborhoods, extreme crime and desolation obscures what is intrinsically beautiful. Often, because of poverty and other restraints, some children never have the opportunity to be enriched by other cultures or environments. To some, even a trip to a museum in their own city is out of reach.
Using photography, we will encourage children to take a close look at their lives and what brings them joy. We will help shift their focus away from the negative influences imposed upon them and towards what is positive and possible. We will nurture their curiosity and help empower them to tell their own stories and portray themselves the way they want to be seen.
The group hopes to raise $12,000 to supplement the organizers' seed money.
Donations will go toward:
- Digital cameras and memory cards. Each child will keep them at the end of the workshop.
- Transportation to the classroom and to sites around their city to photograph.
- Printing cost of books for each child to keep.
- Lunches provided for the children at each session.
- Travel expenses
You can contribute here.
