So, I know that with the end of the year coming up, I am far behind on the images that I have shared on here, and I am sorry. I have a TON still to post (okay, not a ton, but at least two more shoots that I have already developed and edited, with another set that I am developing TODAY). So I will try and get those up here prior to the start of the new year, so we can get 2019 off with some Brand New photos...but I doubt that will actually happen. LOL.
So, the gentleman that I am going to be posting is a guy named Aaron. He lives in Oklahoma City, and I was lucky enough to be able to photograph him when I was down there a few months ago for my exhibition at the Oklahoma City Contemporary. It was amazing to be able to hang out with him, get to know him and photograph him. I was also able to collect his narrative, and I am going to do something that I have never done before. Because of the fact that I love his story so much, and think that it is so amazing, I am going to share it on here. This is, I repeat, the first time I have ever done this. For all of the other narratives that go with the other collections, head over to the website and check out the portfolio.
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I rarely look back to the past as I’m so pumped for my future aspirations. There are many of my longtime friends who can look back on the skinhead scene fondly. I too can find some love in the experiences and friendships I made, but I feel remorse for things I’ve said and done in my past.
I didn’t come from a scene where I felt like a minority as I was a poor kid like everyone else. I grew up in the San Antonio scene. It is predominantly made up of Latino skins, punks, hardcore kids, rude boys, etc. There were very few white faces that I saw at shows that didn’t belong to touring bands. That or maybe I just didn’t really associate with white kids because they weren’t from my part of town or didn’t dress like me. Most infighting within the scene seemed more concentrated on what crew you ran with rather than racial beefs. It threw me for a loop at first being that all you hear about from the media is that we are all a bunch of racist assholes.
It wasn’t until I moved to Oklahoma City in the late 90’s that I began to feel like a minority. It’s no secret OKC had some nazi elements to its scene, but I wasn’t treated terribly. It was hard to wrap my mind around it. I figure that it was more along the lines that some of these guys grew up together so they didn’t give a fuck what their friend’s politics were.
My pro-American stance seemed to amp up to nationalist leanings right after 9-11. It found myself associating with other skins in other towns and having long political discussions. I have always laughed at the idea of people living their lives by band lyrics, but when I started listening to RAC, I found myself really wanting to push that envelope of anger and frustration towards anyone I considered liberal. Music has power and I truly believe that if you listen to angry shit all the time, it’s going to seep in.
The event that began my shift in politics was the day I attended an anti-immigration rally. I became obsessed with militia groups like “The Minutemen Project.” When I approached them with one of my white friends, they wouldn’t look me in the eye nor give me the time of day. They gave her literature and she threw it away. It began a self-reflection. I got used to hearing things like “Aaron’s one of the good ones” and it made me start thinking about if I was just a token minority to some people.
The birth of my niece and converting to Christianity shortly after put me on a path to consider the type of legacy I would be leaving behind. It’s funny because I know most Christians align themselves with the Republican party, but after giving my life to Jesus….I found myself having more compassion for my neighbors. I found myself adopting more politics that might be considered more liberal.
My thought process and change eventually led to cutting people into the scene that weren’t deemed worthy by my peers. It started a rift. When I was heartbroken by a girl shortly after, it further made me difficult to be around. I lost some longtime friends during this time period. I began questioning all the things that I once held so dear to my heart. You find out really quick who your friends are when you are deep in the gutter of life.
I decided that I should reevaluate my life and that led me on the path to going to school. I’ve always loved education but never thought I would have the money to go. I use to also have this idea that universities were for rich liberal cesspools. My ideas on that have somewhat changed. If there’s anything that will make you rethink your politics, it’s being surrounded by the people you may not have liked in the past. It’s easy to hate someone when you don’t know them face to face. I have met and had conversations with people of different races, religions, sexual orientations, political affiliations...etc. I sat with an Iraqi in history class and we traded history notes about what he was taught and what I was taught. There’s no better place than to have that open dialogue than in an educational environment or serving in the military.
I’ve learned to embrace myself, my Latino culture, and the moments that have shaped me. I’ve allowed myself to dream. I don’t just talk about the “America” I want based on my old flawed politics in a scene, but I’m a better citizen that contributes to my community through service work.
Although I’m nearing 40 now, I will always have a love for the music and skinhead subculture. I can see the draw that the scene has and I hope that others find the same sense of pride I learned from it. To always be who you are, to work hard for what you have, to take no shit from people and always stand by your guns." - Aaron C for the We Are All We Have Tonight collection.
As always, here is the photos, and the one that I am thinking about using for the portfolio is on the bottom.
