The New Americans

Download: 11 x 17 and 8.5 x 11

Daniel Celaya's effort to help others is a powerful reminder: What affects one will eventually affect us all.

I visited Daniel in Huntsville at his Be Free Gallery. He walked us directly across the street, where we were greeted by massive concrete entrance walls and looming watchtowers, complete with guards and rifles watching every move on the public sidewalks.

I encourage anyone and everyone to visit the gallery and see the world through the lens of formerly and currently incarcerated artists. The extreme talent is undeniable. Creativity in its most genuine, rawest forms. Creativity as freedom. And salvation. — V.V.

Download: 11 x 17 and 8.5 x 11

“In a civilized society, there can be no excuse for the murder, arson, theft, and vandalism that have terrorized the law-abiding citizens of Los Angeles. None of this is what we wish to think of as American. It’s as if we were looking into a mirror that distorted our better selves and turned us ugly. Let me assure you, I will use whatever force necessary to restore order."

These were the words and warnings offered to America on national television by President George H.W. Bush Sr. in 1991. His tone deaf speech offered little to no reflection on the brutal beating unleashed upon Rodney King. It failed to discuss an unjust American system that consistently delivers injustice to its citizens at the hands of the police state, despite visible evidence on full public display.

At 14 years old, this moment was forever etched into my memory — an early observation and premature awareness of the normalized and distorted realities that shaped American society and its power systems today. — V.V.

Download: 11 x 17 and 8.5 x 11

Download: 11 x 17 and 8.5 x 11

Sunday, June 8, 2025, around 2:30 p.m. CT. Houston. Painting in the studio. FaceTime call from Josiah and Jesse in Los Angeles. Lots of noise, could not hear them, so they held up the screen and showed me instead. Massive crowd of protestors, young and old, marching through downtown and onto the 101 freeway. Ten minutes later, I heard sounds outside my door. Poked my head out. It was like witnessing a tsunami in slow motion, pouring into the streets. Threw down my brushes and walked out to join them. Solidarity across America. — V.V.

Download: 11 x 17 and 8.5 x 11

I remember seeing this protest sign during a massive peaceful protest for workers’ and immigrants’ rights at Hermann Park in Houston on May 1. The May Day march was simultaneously occurring in Los Angeles and other cities across America. I was struck by the solidarity and the presence of many faces and backgrounds marching in unity. The first major May Day march in the United States occurred on May 1, 1886, in Chicago, as part of a nationwide strike for the eight-hour workday. — V.V.

Download: 11 x 17 and 8.5 x 11

I encountered this poster on a Sunday morning in the Montrose district of Houston. I finished my breakfast, began walking down the sidewalk, and was struck by this small poster randomly stapled onto a leaning phone pole. I interpreted it not only for my personal interaction with it, but I tried to visualize and redefine it as a collective moment felt across America and beyond in the twenty-first century. — V.V.

Download: 11 x 17 and 8.5 x 11

At 95 years, Dolores Huerta is a powerful force and presence. I photographed her at The Los Angeles County Museum of Art while sharing my exhibition with her, "El Chavez Ravine." I felt it was important to begin this project by depicting a remarkable visionary leader for communities across America, as well as by paying homage to the previous generations who came before. Dolores serves as an important symbol and reminder to us all: These struggles in America are not new. They have been inherited, endured, and persevered for many generations. — V.V.