Our Common Humanity: Laughter

Just entered a photo contest hosted by Mercy Corp. And this photo is what I submitted.

Here is my commentary on the photo. Stereotypes abound today, especially of peoples in places we don’t know, or worse, fear. This photo was taken in Hebron of the West Bank where I served as a human rights monitor in 2011. In the West we often hear horrible stories of Palestinians and/or how women are treated more broadly in Islam. We can easily dehumanize out of misunderstanding or ignorance. I took this photo during a demonstration outside a checkpoint where teachers and students were requested to show the contents of the school bags to pass through to their school. I was asked to teach an English class that day, outside the checkpoint, on the curb. At one point I caught these teachers laughing as they observed some of the children. In a tense moment, among people I did not know well, I saw our common humanity. I felt my own mental “no trespassing” sign turn to a “welcome” sign. I’ve never been the same after that day. Images have a powerful role in telling stories and framing human perceptions, especially of people unfamiliar to us. In a world where divisions seem to be growing and prejudices hardening, I’m finding the work of “visual peacemaking” critical.