UConn students and proud WHUS members, Evan Fritz and Ali Oshinskie engage professional freelance photographer, Mike Wardynski, in a conversation about his time at Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in November and December of 2016, his canon of social justice oriented photography “A Sign of The Times”, and methodologies for working towards a better America. This interview originally aired on WHUS FM on Friday, January 13 at 1 p.m.
Mike Wardynski is a professional freelance photographer and instructor based out of Oakland CA. Spending most of his career rooted in landscape photography, a sudden and dramatic shift in U.S. politics inspired him to take a stand against social and environmental injustice. In November of 2016 Mike founded “A Sign of the Times” – Images of an American Revolution, with a goal of getting people involved in fighting for the rights of all citizens and the planet.
The image above, “We are Unarmed,” is from Mike’s collection. On his website, Mike captions this image with some words on the brutality towards peaceful protesters: “On numerous occasions police have used excessive force against the peaceful resistance. Police dogs have bitten demonstrators, water canons have been used in freezing temperatures, and one water protector has lost her arm due to injuries inflicted by the police. A banner that states, “we are unarmed” hangs in front of the camp to remind the police that they are the ones creating a hostile environment, not the water protectors.”
To see Mike Wardynski’s photography and read up on ways to get involved, visit www.asott.org.