On 19 July I went to the Bronx Documentary Center (BDC) for a panel discussion on migration and violence in Latin America. But first I had to navigate a transportation challenge of my own. Every train in the Bronx was at a standstill thanks to a major MTA communication outage. I got off the train and walked about a half mile uphill in the evening heat and humidity to catch a bus to the BDC.
I was tired, hot, and 20 minutes late, but the discussion had not yet started, so I happily took a seat down front for the event.
Documentary photographers Fabiola Ferrero, Andres Cardona, and Fred Ramos all had work in the BDC’s Second Annual Latin American Foto Festival, which was on display at the time. Each had a chance to talk about their body of work (primarily in Spanish with a translator, which I liked given the subject matter, even though I am embarrassingly mono-lingual) and answer questions from the moderator and audience. Hearing them talk about their methodology and the joys and dangers of the work they do drove home just how serious things are in Latin America to the point where people are walking thousands of miles to seek asylum
