Stranger Fruit is an ongoing photo project addressing the epidemic of black men being murdered by police violence. The stories of Sean Bell, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Akai Gurley, Tamir Rice and countless others are heartbreaking. These deaths should have never happened. The community can’t afford to lose any more young black men. These men should be living full lives.
Using the pietà as a reference, The Virgin Mary mourning over the body of the dead Christ, the focus is on the mothers. They are often the forgotten amidst the flurry of media coverage, protests and lawsuits. The mothers are photographed with their son(s) and also by themselves, isolated from everything and everyone else.
This project began in NYC but is being taken nationally to show that this issue affects black families across the country.
Jon Henry is an artist and photographer from Queens NY. His work focuses on athletes, portraits and the community. For more information or to be part of the project contact: [email protected]. Check out JonHenryPhotography.com and Jon Henry on Instagram.
