Recently I was reflecting on the phrase “Thank you for your service” and how it could just as easily be directed towards activists.
Mickey Z. is an activist who tirelessly works in service of building a more just, equitable society. He routinely shows up with his camera to document what is happening on a grassroots level in the streets. With images and words, he tells urgent stories of today’s resistance movements, posing as many questions as answers.
Whether taking on capitalism, imperialism, patriarchy or working for animal rights or the Black Lives Matter movement, Mickey is never afraid to stir the pot and challenge because, quite literally, peoples’ lives depend on it. His sole motivation is fighting all forms of privilege and oppression.
Twenty or thirty years from now his work may well be a real time documentation of a radical shift in America and the world. Here’s hoping that everything he is working towards is mainstream by then. No doubt, he will have moved on to new ground, posing new questions and further upsetting the status quo.
Though he probably wouldn’t care for such gestures, I will nevertheless say “Thank you for your service, my friend.” And thank you for this wonderful book, Occupy These Photos!
