Snapshot of the Americas: 20th Century Afterthoughts

Video Link: https://vimeo.com/96039424

 

 

Some of my Stories: 

Modern Day Tesla:

http://www.dailyillini.com/lifeandculture/aroundcampus/article_ddd5fa52-8882-11e3-908d-001a4bcf6878.html

 

 

South African Freedom Day:  http://www.dailyillini.com/lifeandculture/aroundcampus/article_05a91db2-ca81-11e3-a02b-001a4bcf6878.html"

 

 

A Revolutionary Fellow:  http://www.dailyillini.com/lifeandculture/aroundcampus/article_5c68fe2e-cff4-11e3-9a8d-001a4bcf6878.html

 

 

Sochi LGBT Issues:  http://www.dailyillini.com/lifeandculture/aroundcampus/article_5c68fe2e-cff4-11e3-9a8d-001a4bcf6878.html 

 

 

My Pictures: https://www.flickr.com/photos/83621498@N02/

 

I plan to travel through Mexico, Central America, Cuba and the US from June 2nd through August 10th documenting lives and pursuing the following stories:  

 

 

- Los Olivos, a mayan ruin in Guatemala where locals are doing whatever they can to protect this ruin from Guatemalan officials, who are trying to escavate the site and open it up to tourist

 

 

- Chichicastenango, small K'iche Mayan town in Guatemala that hosts a colorful textile, handicrafts, and pottery market that is centuries old next to the 400 year old church of  Santo Tomás, a colonial church built by the Spanish, who conquerd the town

 

 

- Evolution in the Revolution: 15 years after the Nat Geo article that anticapted a changing tide in Cuba's communist ideas

 

 

- Colli-Colli family in the Yucatan 31 years after the Hubert Smith documentary, "The Living Maya" and whether or not they've assimilated into the modern world

 

 

- An American family in Oaxaca, Mexico who cultivate oyster mushrooms and sell to communties of indigenous Mazatec, Nahuatl, Mixtec & Chinatec people in their area

 

 

- Revisiting the Loneliest road in America, U.S. Route 50 that runs through Nevada, 28 years after the 1986 Life magazine article

 

 

- Mexico City: Then and now, a look at contemporary Mexico 

 

 

- Drug violence, and how it's affecting the agricultural economy of the Mexican state of Michoacan - World cup furor in Latin America 

 

 

- Permaculture in the Yucatan Penninsula, the growing trend for American ex-pats  

 

 

These stories will be published online by the Daily Illini (www.dailyillini.com), as well as on an online blog.  

 

I will be hitting the following countries in this order: Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Cuba, the US.   Most of the money from this campaign will go toward transportation costs and accomadation. I will be departing from Chicago on June 2nd and start off my journey in the Yucatan, making my way up to center of the country before rounding my way down through Latin America by bus. I then plan on flying from Managua to Cancun where I'll be able to make the 1 and 1/2 hour flight to Havana and stay there for about a week before returning to Cancun, where I will be flying back to the states. The final leg of the journey will be  a roadtrip west down through U.S. Route 50, the loneliest road in America. 

 

The Impact: With this 'Snapshot of the Americas' project, I hope to establish a bridge between the past and present, allowing people the opportunity to reflect on the changes that have occurred over time in the Americas. And while two months is no where near enough time to get an exhaustive picture this region's present landscape, this project will give me a glimpse into the lives of the people that inhabit these regions and help me highlight a few the faults and virtues of their present state. While financial support is an important part of the project, having a community of readers and supporters is important as well, as it will open up the field for interpretation and allow the readers and external community the opportunity to act accordingly and help promote certain causes I may document. 

 

What Your Support Means:  While I would be thrilled if this project were to be fully funded, the project will still take place to a smaller scale if I don't reach my entire goal, where I will be traveling only to Mexico, Guatemala and the United States, hitting less spots along the way. I am committed to this project I and am excited to see it out and the impact it can have on the world. Any donation, in any amount, is greatly appreciated! 

 

Still, these are hard times and I know not everyone will want to or be able to contribute financially. Regardless of your decision, I value your feedback-- please share this project widely and feel free to contact me about friends in the countries I will be traveling to who might want to speak with me, or ideas you have on how I can make this project better.