A People Called Elaine
Trent Bozeman

The racial divide is as strong as ever in Elaine, creating a culture of silence and negligence. Community is everything for the black people who are still living on the killing fields of their ancestors. Amidst COVID-19, children in Elaine have been attending school in a town about an hour away twice a week. A majority of the children have never heard of the tragedy that occurred. Not only was this astonishing but it also made me realize the lack of education and history these kids have to deal with. They do not understand the levels of inequity in their lives such as why their mayor was never elected, why the north side of Main Street is riddled with potholes and debris, or why the memorial resides in Helena and not Elaine.

 My first visit last August was a lonely one until I found the basketball court. Kids of all ages shoot hoops and ride four-wheelers through loose gravel. It really is the only place in the town where they can be themselves freely. Throughout this past summer, I was fortunate to be able to host a photography camp with a select group of children at The Elaine Legacy Center. Giving these kids the tools and agency to represent themselves is empowering and can, hopefully, alter how this place exists to them. The town is currently constructing the Elaine Civil Rights Museum and I intend for the full body of work and the images made by the kids to solely exist there as an ever-evolving archive.

 Moving forward into this long-term project, I am focusing on collaboration with the kids while also making images that hold a more vocal stance on the inner politics, societal issues, and culture of Elaine. There is lots of open space in Elaine and I am very interested in the possibilities around documenting site-specific work that I create in the field. I plan to continue my photography camp next summer and will be consistently traveling to Elaine for a very long time as the town enters a new chapter in its fight for land reparations.

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Trent Bozeman

Trent Bozeman is a lens-based artist from Los Angeles by way of Chicago. Coming from a journalism background, he is interested in how black history is reshaped, documented, and preserved. Combatting the erasure of black legacies and histories has long been a recurring theme in his projects. His current photographic work is based in the Arkansas Delta in the small town of Elaine, Arkansas. His past ongoing work explores Gullah sea islands communities, specifically Wadmalaw Island, where his family is from, and the memories that continue to prolong their cultural significance.  

Website: trentbozeman.com
Instagram: @trentbozeman