SEIU 250 members are learning to see things in a new light thanks to a free photography class offered by our union.
Titled "Unseen America", the course was developed to give members a way to explore visually what it means to be a health care worker. It covers everything from basic camera operation to composition and the history of labor photography. It was created as part of an ongoing cultural project to document the lives of workers and to offer members a wide range of services and opportunities for personal growth.
"This class has been great," said Ricky Rougeaux, a File Clerk at Kaiser in Redwood City. "I'm excited about the opportunity to express myself in a way that's integrated with my work. What we're talking about is real life - not the stuff you see on the 6 o'clock news."
The group of 25 members meets once a week at our union's headquarters. Class sessions include presentations of work by photographers like Lewis Hine, Dorothea Lange, and Gordon Parks, discussion about photographic technique, and critique of student photographs. Each week our members complete an assignment and bring their work in to share with classmates.
"Working people's point of view is not often expressed," said Richard Bermack, an accomplished labor photographer and teacher of the class. "We spend so many of our waking hours at work, yet the images we see in the media are very divorced from that portion of our lives."
As the course progresses students are taking on topics for their final projects, which will combine text and photos in an Unseen America exhibit at Oakland City Hall next spring.
