The inspiration for this series was President Trump’s lies about the Haitian immigrants in Springfield. His statement that they are criminals who eat people’s cats and dogs caused even Ohio’s Republican officials to complain. When a powerful person lies it makes me wonder what he’s hiding. It makes me want to know more about all of the immigrants he’s threatened and lied about. That eventually led me to this series.
As I post the pieces in this series I’ll share some of the things I’ve learned about our country’s immigrants. In this piece some basic facts are built into the image. The boy is standing on an orange floor that takes up 11% of the image because 11% of the people now in the U.S. were born elsewhere and have documents that show they are now U.S. citizens or legal residents.
The gold band represents the 3% of people in the U.S. who were born elsewhere and don’t have documents. These are the millions of “hidden figures” President Trump says he’ll round up, imprison and send out of the country.
The background in blue refers to the 85% of people in the U.S. who are descendants of immigrants.
The top line is 1% of the image. It represents the only U.S. residents who are not immigrants or their descendants – Native Americans.
This series is about undocumented immigrants – hidden figures – and in this piece I’m using a photo of the boy I call Mateo to represent one of them. I have no idea whether this boy is actually an undocumented immigrant. He could be a fifth generation American. When I’m given the opportunity to photograph a child like this I don’t ask about his immigration status. I just say thank you and take the photo.
We received this press release this afternoon:
If you belong to Generation X, or you’re a late-stage Baby Boomer and you lived in the Miami Valley in the 1980s and 90s, chances are, you did. Often. Z-93, otherwise known as WGTZ, was Dayton’s premier Top 40 radio station. If you wanted to hear the biggest pop music hits in America, you went to the 92.9 dial on your stereo. For many of us, Z-93 was the first time we ever heard Prince’s “When Doves Cry”, or Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love a Bad Name”. Or even Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. Hell, you might even hear a Tupac song. Z-93 was the place for pop smashes.
Owner Diane Spitzig was so excited to share that the bar is back open again and she’s done a bunch of hiring in the past week. Keith Milligan, who was most recently the Beverage Manager at the Marriott of UD has taken on the managment roll and is bringing three bartenders wih him. He’s got 25 years of bar experience and an extensive knowledge of bourbon.
Four food vendors are now open at The Silos. Each operates out of a 20 foot shipping container located in a corner of the building. In the center you have a bar and lots of seating. I plan to sample food from each vendor, starting with KungFu BBQ.
The 
What are your future plans with Miller’s Grind?
Renowned artists, architects, designers, city leaders, and creative visionaries will come together to explore opportunities for artists and the economic impact and importance art has at the intersections of innovation, culture, and community. Dayton Mayor Jeffrey J. Mims, Jr., will provide opening remarks, and closing remarks will be made by Dayton City Manager Shelley Dickstein. The keynote address “Empowering Creativity: Advancing Art and Design in Ohio” will be presented by Donna Collins, executive director of the Ohio Arts Council.
