Two Tales of One City

Love and Devotion

The Story of this Gallery

"Two Tales of One City" emerged from my work as a photojournalist with Faith and Values, Spokane (FaVS). In January 2025, I covered both the All People’s Rally & MLK Day March and the Trump Victory Parade. These events, unfolding in the same city but existing in vastly different realities, reveal the deep divisions among Spokane's residents. This project explores those opposing realities through a series of paired images that juxtapose the emotions, relationships, and underlying messages of each group.

At the Trump Victory Parade, participants gathered under the belief that the 2020 election had been “stolen” and were celebrating their 2025 win. As I arrived at the “Flag Up” staging area, where they lined up for their nearly three-hour procession, a man approached me and asked whom I had voted for—an implicit test of whether I belonged. When I responded that I was there as a journalist, he turned to another man in a large truck and said, “I don’t have to ask who you voted for. I can tell by your truck that you belong with us.”

In stark contrast, at the All People’s Rally & MLK Day March, participants—women, LGBTQ+ individuals, Black community members, and immigrants—expressed deep concerns about the erosion of civil rights. Their gathering was not just about protest but about resilience, emphasizing solidarity and strategies to protect one another in the years ahead.

This exhibit begins with an opening image pair that establishes the spirit of these opposing groups. As the sequence progresses, it explores their differing messages, their relationships, and the ways they express belonging and exclusion. The final image pair leaves the viewer contemplating the future—seen through the eyes of the next generation.