Portraits of Black History Month

For Black History Month, teacher Peter Tobia sent his University of the Arts photography class out into the streets of Philadelphia with cameras to seek out and talk to people they didn’t know about the meaning of the observance.

“The idea behind the project,” Tobia said, “was to get students to understand other cultures and explore ethnicity beyond what is familiar to them. In a small way it was moving beyond a person’s comfort zone and opening up the circle in include rather than exclude.  The students were challenged also by seeking out people they didn’t know, talking with them and eventually asking if they could be photographed, which can be a very intimidating experience for both subject and photographer.”

The slide show above presents the impressive results.  Let us know what you think. –  NewsWorks staff.