Black Lives Matter

Years ago, I identified that our “why” as a business — the whole reason behind why we do what we do — is “every story is important and worth telling.” We have spoken up for women’s rights and LGBTQ rights... And we’ve lost followers and clients because of it. But that never mattered because I wanted to always be 100% clear that I want to tell all kinds of stories because they are all important. I felt called to be a good ally to the LGBTQ community and share the ways that I had felt oppression as a woman. It’s time that we also make something else publicly clear:At Story Photographers, we believe every story is important and worth telling. That means, we believe BIPOC stories are important and worth telling. We believe Black Lives Matter.Right now, we are deeply interested and invested in listening to these stories and learning. As we are a business run by three white women, we understand (and agree) that we are categorized as the “oppressed oppressor.” We might have experienced oppression but it is not at all like what BIPOC currently experience in this country and have experienced for hundreds of years.I have been sharing so much during this time of racial reckoning on my personal Instagram, with the occasional share here on the Story Photographers Instagram, assuming that is enough. But it’s not enough. All three of us are listening and learning. We are actively seeking out and listening to BIPOC stories. We are digging deep and looking into our stories for our own shortcomings and making a change. We are doing the work to stand with you as good allies in tipping the scale to TRUE equality.We have work in motion that we hope is one tiny step in showing our heart on this issue. We will also be sharing more resources and promoting more black artists & influencers from our Story Photographers channels. I am even going to be leading some discussions that will be geared toward non-black people attending — to work through their questions, confessions, and thoughts during this time together — as to not burden our black brothers and sisters with this round of inner work (Black friends, I am listening and I hear you are tired… and the first leg of this work is on us. We have to choose it and do it). You can also follow my personal pages to see even MORE:InstagramFacebookIf you’ve followed me for awhile, you know that this isn’t just a business to me. I can never treat it as just a business. This work of photographing people in a way that tells their stories is an actual extension of who I am. I will never ever regret leading with my heart and digging deep to listen, learn, and tell the truth.