Friday Faves: My personal picks of (mostly) unpublished images from the archive…

A solitary protester who identified himself as "a patriot" and a member of the Tea Party holds silent vigil outside the U.S. Capitol as members of congress vote on health care reform legislation March 21, 2010.

I was in Washington D.C. covering Ecumenical Advocacy Days and a immigration rally and march when we I came across this lone protester standing near the steps of the Capitol.

As thousands of people passed by him singing, chanting and blowing whistles to call attention to immigration reform, this man stood silently holding the flag.

I approached and asked if I could take his picture – he didn’t want his face shown but was OK with a photo from behind. When asked if I could identify him in the photo, he replied, “I’m a patriot”. I asked why he was there and he said he was a member of the Tea Party who was against the pending healthcare legislation that ultimately passed that evening.

What I find great about this photo is that even without telling anyone what was just written, a number of people have guessed the context of the photo and this man’s position.

Was it the flag, the hat, the Wranglers? I’m not sure, but behind me were thousands of people with hats, flags and jeans on demanding changes in immigration policy that would allow families to stay together, and children born in the U.S. to undocumented workers to become naturalized citizens. Were they as easily identified?

A little side note on this photo is that the water bottle at the man’s feet was given to him by a Hispanic man, one of the immigration reform marchers, as he passed by. Interesting that they would look out for this man’s wellness when so many migrants who cross the U.S. southern border die because of dehydration.

Camera – Canon 5d Mark II with 24-105mm lens