When Ebony Magazine asked me to photograph the impact of the BP oil spill on the African American community I was touched by the vulnerability of people who depend on the water to make a living. The assignment brought me to a myriad of people fighting to preserve their heritage.
As president of the Louisiana Oysterman’s Association Byron Encalade continues to speak for the oyster fishers everywhere in his quest to make things right.
Norman Reddick , 62, has been a fisherman for more than 27 years. When Hurricane Katrina destroyed his house in Pointe a-La Hache in 2005 he and his family moved to Arkansas. He commutes back and forth to fish oysters, staying on a boat for days at a time. Now his last source of income has dried up.
When four-year-old Rodney Demolle held up a Louisiana Blue Crab during a backyard celebration in Phoenix, Louisiana I was reminded of how much our culture is intertwined with seafood.
Years after he spill the industry is coming back with a sense of uncertainty of the long haul. We hope for the best.
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