By now some of you have seen the photographs of glowing individuals with their hand proudly displaying “i am equal” in black. These images are spreading like wild fire all over social net works such as Facebook and Twitter. “What are these pictures about” is the question people are asking and exactly the the goal of the “i am equal” project.
This all started with a conversation about apathy between business executive Jason Beckett and Fashion photographer Matt Spencer. They both shared a frustration with people who claimed to care for a cause but were never proactive in trying to make a difference. Together they came up with an idea the would give people a tool to engage in conversation about any human rights issue they felt passionately about.
The photographs themselves are meant to empower with a lot of metaphorical meaning. There are no group pictures because the idea is to show everyone as an individual. Each person is shown wearing a solid bright color in front of a black background with a light radiating from behind them. The bold statement in “i am equal” goes on the hand, explained Jason because the hands are symbolic of peace and service.
Jason and Matt have taken a break from their careers while they dedicate themselves full time to traveling from state to state giving people the opportunity to stand up for the issue that means something to everyone, human rights. Jason hopes to collect more 100,000 photographs of people from all walks of life. The i am equal campaign wants to print these images on ceramic tiles and use them to make the worlds largest photo mosaic. This would symbolize every one individual united in the desire to see change in the world and stand up for peace and equality.
If you didn’t get the chance to participate and support the i am equal project while they were in Salt Lake City, you can still make donations and find out where they will be next on the website http://www.iamequalproject.org.