This image is by LaToya Ruby Frazier who is from Braddock. The image shows the back of an African-american woman who looks as if she is in a hospital bed attached to wires. Next to this image we can see a run down construction sight that looks fairly dangerous and unhealthy.

Contextual

LaToya describes her hometown as having “harmful and painful” effects on both her family and others growing up around her, which she has expressed visually. This is clearly implied in the image above as we can see a sick woman in a hospital bed, which the photographer places next to an image of construction which implies there’s a link between environment and health. The image on the right shows some sort of building that is being knocked down which may represent the harmful effects of industry in the area she grew up in. LaToya has spoken about the “terrible effects of the city’s steel industry”, which is visually shown through her choice of displaying both these specific images side by side.

Conceptual

The photographer has previously mentioned how the aim of her photography was to “amplify the voices of the marginalized who have many important stories to tell”. This means that the concept of her image may be trying to convey the injustices the black community in her area suffer. This is further confirmed as She also mentions that “Braddock is predominately African American with residents fighting for social and economic opportunity” which confirms this concept was something intentionally explored by LaToya. Placing an image of a figure of a black woman looking ill, and implying it was caused by her environment shows, what LaToya has branded, “environmental racism” shows the photographer has strong political views making politics a strong underlying concept relating to this image also.