Human Flower Project
“Them”
Photo: Marc Riboud
Even those born after 1967 remember this photograph, or will once they’ve seen it.
Marc Riboud took the picture outside the Pentagon during a demonstration protesting the U.S. war in Vietnam. How fresh, and necessary, it looks today.
Riboud was a member of Magnum, the French elite of documentary photography. The girl was 17 year old Jan Rose Kasmir, a foster child from Maryland who “just hopped on a D.C. transit bus and went down to join the revolution.”
When I think of flowers and photography, this picture first comes to mind.
“More than 30 years after the protest, a French newspaper tracked down Kasmir, and last February Riboud followed her to another antiwar protest—this time in London, against the war in Iraq—and captured an image of a woman still committed to the ideals of her youth.” She lives with her family in Denmark today.
Kasmir told Andrew Curry of Smithsonian magazine, “All of a sudden, I realized ‘them’ was that soldier in front of me—a human being I could just as easily have been going out on a date with. It wasn’t a war machine, it was just a bunch of guys with orders. Right then, it went from being a fun, hip trip to a painful reality.”
Here’s an interview with Riboud, now age 81. He advises photographers, “Forget about witnessing. Say to yourself that photography is a little everyday job. Stick to your curiosity.”
Comments
Jan, As promised I did look for you on a Google Search. Just wanted you to know how much my daughter-in-law and I enjoyed your massage. It was truly a pleasure meeting you and now knowing about your life long work for peace and understanding in this troubled world of ours. Hope to see you again when we visit HHI. All the best, Barb
Julie - I was so touched that this photo is meaningful to you. It is my hope that you will carry a message of peace in your heart. Anytime you would like to connect, you may write to me at . G-d bless you. Keep the faith, bay!
jan rose