TONL seeks to transform the idea of stock photography by displaying images of diverse people and their stories around the world. These voices and this visibility matter. Photography and storytelling can help humanize and hopefully diminish the stereotypes and prejudice against black and brown people, especially. TONL wanted to challenge the stale, homogenous look of traditional stock photography by showcasing the many ethnic backgrounds of every day people.
Links to Resource:
- Learn more about TONL and its founders
- Visit the Narratives page, which has created a space for people to provide earnest portrayals of everyday life through words and photography
- Check out the Urban Indian Health Institute’s Narrative on TONL: We Are More Than You Know
- Read or listen to the NPR interview with TONL founders Karen Okonkwo and Joshua Kissi
- Get to know Joshua Kissi and how the intention behind his work has transformed in this Okay Africa article
- View the findings of this related study(pdf) which exposes misrepresentations of families of color in news and opinion media
Date: 2017