ISAAC SCOTT

WITNESS

“While covering the protests I have been tear gassed, and have witnessed peaceful protesters get trapped and brutalized by police on I-676, 100,000 citizens march through the streets, the national guard occupy center city, and black youth lead a new movement of resistance. I have had the privilege to capture all of it and tell those stories through my art. I found my place in the march as someone who can amplify the voices of the people beyond one march or one moment. I think to James Baldwin and how he described his place in the civil rights movement as a witness. He was able to bring the stories of the “actors” in the movement to the public through his writing. When I got the opportunity to be featured in the New Yorker Magazine, I felt so honored to be recognized for my work as a photographer but I felt more grateful to use my role as witness to spread the story of the movement in Philly around the country and the world. It was a humbling experience and as I continue the role of witness in this radical movement for black lives, I hope that I am able to communicate the humanity and the love that is so powerful among the people who are participating.”

I am an artist, curator, educator, and organizer from Madison, WI currently living in Philadelphia, PA. I have been documenting the uprising in Philadelphia since the murder of George Floyd with the goal of amplifying the voices from the frontlines of the movement. Click here for an interview with Isaac.