Sticks and Stones

• Photographer
  Donna Pinckley, United States

The Sticks and Stones photography series began with an image of
one of my frequent subjects and her African-American boyfriend.
Her mother and I were catching up when she told me of the cruel
taunts hurled at her daughter for dating a boy of another race. As
she was speaking I was reminded of another couple many years
ago, who had been the object of similar racial slurs. What struck
me was the resilience of both couples in the face of derision, their
refusal to let others define them.
 
Two years ago I began photographing interracial couples of all
ages, aiming as always to capture how they see themselves, the
world of love and trust they have created despite adversity. I
began adding the negative comments they have been subjected to
at the bottom of the images as a reminder of how part of society
sees them.