Being the Other

by 08.06.2011

Everyone should feel what it”s like to be “the other” – to look around and find yourself in a sea of unknown, to be the one without power, at the mercy of human kind and kindness.

During a soccer pitch dedication, a gift to Clara Town from the ruling Unity Party, a small group of young men were racing with a megaphone in hand, yelling words I couldn”t make it out through the distorting device. I saw their energy. I ran in close; I began shooting.

“FUCK YOU!” Over and over again. “Sorry. No pictures. I”m a friend.” It escalated. A crowd circled, drawn in by the tension, the conflict. Wanting to know what will happen. Quickly elders stepped in, the situation calmed, deescalated. It all happened in seconds.

I walked away – humbled, shaken, saddened and grateful.

categories, Blog, Politics
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About Chad Stevens

Chad A. Stevens joined the school in 2009. Most recently, he was an award-winning documentary producer/editor at Mediastorm, a multimedia production company based in New York City. Stevens has also been a faculty member in the visual communication programs at Western Kentucky University, the International Center of Photography and Ohio University. Currently he is working on a feature length documentary film on the conflict over energy extraction in Appalachia.

Stevens has received two Emmy nominations, one Webby Award and many photography and multimedia awards in the Pictures of the Year International and NPPA Best of Photojournalism competitions. While teaching at Western Kentucky University, Stevens won the University Faculty Award for Public Service in 2006.

With a professional foundation in photojournalism and multimedia storytelling, Stevens’ career spans the spectrum of newsroom environments, multimedia production and international experience. While living in Africa, he produced multimedia projects for Save the Children, AIDchild and Literacy and Basic Education.

He is a 1999 graduate of Western Kentucky University and a 2009 graduate of Ohio University, and has interned at National Geographic Magazine, The Hartford Courant, the Muskegon Chronicle and the Jackson Hole Guide. During his time as a student at Western Kentucky University, he traveled to Palestine and other Middle East countries. He was named 1997 College Photographer of the Year.