LatinaLista — How do you get young people to care about the national debate on immigration?
You take their picture and let them post it on Facebook!
That was the thought behind El Paso photographer David Quintanilla’s idea when he was approached by an El Paso advocacy organization called Boycott Arizona to figure out a way to get young people involved in taking a stand in the national debate. Yet, Quintanilla didn’t just want to focus on Arizona.
He wanted to created a visual campaign that raised awareness of how wrong discrimination is anywhere and everywhere. Though the original intent was to recruit young people to be part of the campaign, it wasn’t long before people of all ages wanted to be part of his unique anti-discrimination photo campaign, Boycott Hate.
Quintanilla invites people to come to his El Paso studio, dressed in white t-shirts, have their wrists shackled with pink handcuffs and allow the words “Boycott Hate” be painted on their forearms. He then takes their pictures for free, with the understanding that once they receive their pics from him, they post them on Facebook, their cell phones and any other social networking sites they belong to.
Wearing the pink handcuffs refers to Maricopa County’s infamous Sheriff Arpaio and his penchant to humiliate his prisoners by outfitting them in pink jumpsuits.
The response to Boycott Hate has been overwhelming, and the pictures powerful in their simplicity and messaging.
It just goes to show to show it doesn’t take screaming to get a message across.
