LensCulture
Images of Change
Kay Herbst Helms

Images of Change

Through photographs and brief stories, this work is focused on how courageous elders from around the world have used their hands in their lifetimes. The project is in cooperation with VINE Faith in Action, whose mission includes outreach to refugee elders in and around Mankato, Minnesota.

Photos
10
Status
Public
Created
Oct 15, 2017
Updated
Feb 09, 2022
Categories

No categories selected

Tags
#Hands #Diversity #Cultures #Vine #Refugee #Immigrant #Native American #Connections #Mankato #Minnesota

Photos (10)

Cover
IMAGES OF CHANGE - Sharing the personal life experiences of elders from diverse cultures
File: Mary cover crop 4 BW Print _MG_8436.jpg
"I feel safe here. Everything I do with my hands is very important to me. It makes me feel happy, good, useful." Ibada - Somalia
File: Ibado BW flt shp _MG_6561.jpg
"I do everything with my hands. I talk with my hands. I pray to the Buddha. I cook food for my family. I have even washed clothes by hand. I also used my hands to teach math and to tend the rice fields." Cuc - South Vietnam
File: Cuc BW 1 Print_MG_6828.jpg
"After hearing the bad news about my heart and wondering what to do, I asked a friend. He said, 'Take my camera. Take pictures.' The rest is history. Looking through the viewfinder, you really see the world from a different perspective. I like to tell invisible, unique stories that widen the perspective of the community." David - Native America
File: David camera crop BW Print_MG_7117.jpg
"It was very important for me to use my hands. I used to prepare food, do laundry, and shop for groceries. I worked hard before I was badly burned in the accident at the restaurant. But my daughter has to do the work now." Sahra - Somalia
File: Sahra BW crop 2 Print_MG_8461.jpg
"I have worked the sugar beets, boxed for Golden Gloves, and was a mess sergeant in the service. Overall, I look back at my life and I'm pretty lucky. I have a wonderful wife and I got to see a lot of the world when I was in the Army. I am 85 years old and I am blessed." Moses - Mexico
File: Moses BW_MG_8145 Print .jpg
"I love to cook and grow my own vegetables. But in South Sudan, where I am from, they have a big problem. They kill some people. It is very bad. They kill children and women. Many people are dying. I am sad for them and for my country. War is too much. That danger -I don't have it here. " Mary - South Sudan
File: Mary Plant BW Print _MG_8421.jpg
" My hands reflect my feelings and thoughts. I am learning to sign for my grandson. I teach, talk and volunteer with people of all ages. We have to help each other. I wish the entire world to know now that we are in a small village and we have to learn to live in peace with each other. This is what we hope. This is what we live." Hamed - Egypt
File: Hamed BW hand heart crop Print _MG_7993.jpg
"I have used my hands and voice to help people adjust to the culture and customs here. When we came to Mankato in 1981, we had a lot of suffering, especially with the kids. We were the darkest people in town and I was the only woman covered. But we found that people are very friendly. We love it here." Safaa - Egypt
File: Safaa BW 2 Print _MG_7962.jpg
"Throughout my life in Sierra Leone I used my hands to provide for my family and to build my business. Then civil war broke out and I lost everything. I came to America to be with my daughter and her family. It's not easy to leave everybody, I have been in Mankato about 17 months and now am moving again. To fit into a new country takes time." Amidu - Sierra Leone
File: Amidu hand work 2 dark edge Print _MG_7232.jpg