now I’m not sure if I should laugh or
cry with this this hysteria inside of me
I don’t know who’s crazier me to stand
on the stage or the women who decide to
put me here to tell you all to live
fearlessly I’m afraid and it’s a good
thing because fear is my power I’m going
to stand here and tell you stories of
fearless women women that deserve to be
heard I’m afraid and to be brutally
honest with you I’m afraid of babbling
on like a foolish idiot or being a
failure a failure at finally giving
these women the time they deserve to be
heard so I’m gonna do this I’m gonna do
this I’m gonna stand here and I’m gonna
do this because it’s worth it
it’s worth it it’s worth hearing these
women’s stories it’s worth it as a
photographer to finally share these
stories of fearless women it’s worth
exposing all this vulnerability to
finally give these women a voice a voice
to women who are often overlooked or
ignored their stories are full poverty
heartbreak oppression yet their stories
are full of resilience courage and
visions these women deserve to be heard
their stories matter
they matter to me they shouldn’t matter
to you their stories resonate with me
because they’re familiar by looking at
my family photos you might think I had
an easy childhood if you know me you
know I’m a perfect balance of these
amazing parents if you know me you know
my childhood wasn’t easy early memories
of poverty
rescuing furniture from the dump for our
trailer my mother’s and genius popcorn
parties for dinner and the substance
abuse the anger the fear trust me I’ve
been there I know what it feels like to
want a different life so badly I know
what it feels like to be judged and
ignored yet I know about resilience and
determination and working hard for what
I want damn it I know what it feels like
to work hard for what I want and I’ve
never wanted anything more than to be an
artist
a photographer and fear has always stood
in my way so much sometimes it stood
next to me and would say things like
you’re worthless you should be ashamed
of yourself for wanting something more
you’re not special her life isn’t a
movie grow up I got so fed up to
listening to those fears every day I
didn’t act my dream was going further
into the distance off into the horizon I
got fed up I was gonna catch it so I
grabbed my camera gear jumped on a
bicycle and rode all around Asia
everywhere photographing everything
everyone fear was my catalyst to act
little did I expect
that little trailer park girl would be
led from China to Mongolia Tibet
Kyrgyzstan Kazakhstan Uzbekistan
Tajikistan Southeast Asia Bangladesh
little did I expect that that scared
little girl would be pulled into homes
of complete strangers little did I
expect that all our stories could be so
take for instance what I learned in
Bangladesh what is the fear that’s
stopping you from speaking out do you
remember the Rana Plaza collapse of
Bangladesh the official death toll is
1129 that’s approximately half of the
World Trade Center disaster from 9/11
the locals will tell you it’s closer to
3,000 I met Ruth Shannon Bangladesh her
and her family live about a 15-minute
walk from the disaster site through
stanza survivor three years later she
still works from home because of trauma
and injuries from that day I watch
Rosanna the weight of shame on her
shoulders because her family continues
to struggle she tells me with tears
filling in her eyes that no one
understands the flame inside of her that
she stifles that fire out of fear and
her community tells her to remain quiet
i watch her shan cut and sew in that
grey cold concrete block room the
humming of the sewing machine the stacks
of fabric lighting up the room with
those vibrant colors the room empties
and the only person that’s left is ruch
Ann’s daughter a 15 year old that now
works garment industry
she pulls the blanket down from her face
covering the chickenpox and looks at me
and says please help me my life is
horrible I can’t ignore her
I don’t ignore her ruch Anne’s 15 year
old daughter had the courage to speak
out by her speaking out lit that fire
inside of me to use my voice by getting
over this fear of using this voice I’m
bringing awareness to women’s labor
issues this voice might have a positive
impact on the world what could you do if
you had the courage to use your voice
could your voice be your power now let’s
move to Shing Jeong what is this is a
fear that’s stopping you from being
genuine
I know families who faced daily
judgement for everything their clothes
their food their language their culture
religion economic education status their
bloodline why because their weigert a
Muslim minority of China they face daily
judgement for everything I’ve been so
fortunate over the last five years to
spend months with these families I’ve
seen the power of love courage tolerance
hospitality at a level that I’ve never
seen and self proclaimed tolerant
societies I’ve experienced these people
face daily judgement for everything yet
they continue to be true to who they are
one of the most memorable experiences
the last night I spent with my closest
weaker family res one ghoul and I walked
through the catacombs of the mud packed
homes we climb up these old rickety
wooden ladders to the rooftops we are
going to pick the biggest rapist
mulberries in the neighborhood the
children are below planes sometimes
calling up at us the Sun is setting the
sand filled skies turn orange
camouflaging the apricots and the other
trees the man next to us is moving a
stick in the air as if he’s conducting a
symphony of pigeons birds free and
flight before the Sun sets years ago you
would have heard the call to prayer but
now you no longer hear that song carried
through the desert winds because that
practice is illegal the only thing I
hear are the children playing below the
swooshing of the pigeons around us and
iagoo res one-goal calls me by my Weger
name and i follow her from roof to roof
delicate dancing around the fallen
berries we giggle talk about love life
desires and we pick those berries and
our fingertips begin to turn the same
crimson red that now floods the sky I
could live in this memory forever these
families are what dreams are made of yet
these people face daily judgment for
everything yet they continue to be true
to who they are what is the fear that’s
would you prefer the respect
for your courage to be authentic or
would you prefer to go through life
unnoticed now let’s move to Tibet what
is the fear that’s stopping you from
loving a few years ago I’m walking
through the mountains of Eastern Tibet
and I meet Raina walking from nowhere to
nowhere and that this particular nowhere
this little old adorable Tibetan woman
is sitting over in her crop fields
waving over at me so I go sit down next
to her and I’m greeted with the biggest
near toothless smile I’ve ever seen and
she shoves a great big bowl of Samba in
my hands I refuse seconds laughing she
only laughs harder a hail storm rolls in
disrupting our little tea party and I
immediately I’m accepted in this
household of six Raina is the mother of
seven children Raina names me desi named
after her eldest deceased daughter I
smile remain calm through those days as
it’s spreading through this tiny village
that desease returned
Desi’s home I live with this family as a
daughter and sister for days Raina
doesn’t want me to leave and I don’t
want to leave Raina worries about me and
I worry about her her thin socks and
those dull cooking knives in that broken
window I would use my own knife to help
prepare dinner I would share that cold
back room with her and those dirty
animal furs and I loved every single
moment I
it was her I stayed much longer than I
had planned I didn’t want to say that
goodbye so I finally got the courage to
tell Rayna I had to leave she would help
put me put on my backpack nearly the
size of her and insist on walking me to
the trail that would lead me through the
mountains alone we walked down the hill
and I watch her leaping over stones and
creeks as if she’s weightless my little
fairy godmother my chest begins to
tighten my vision becomes blurry we get
to that road and she turns around and we
both have tears streaming off of our
cheeks we embrace each other sobbing on
one another’s shoulders feeling each
other’s heart this intense human
sisterhood Rayna didn’t have to let me
in that day she’d already lost a
daughter and she was gonna lose another
me Rayna taught me to love fearless Lee
can you imagine what we could all feel
what if we all loved recklessly
what could we become if we had the
courage to be who we really are
what kind of impact who we have on the
world if we had the courage to speak out
fear is my power and I use it to put me
into action fear can be an empowering
emotion
fear can push you to live fearlessly I’m
still afraid and it’s a great thing
because fear is my power and this power
makes me live fearlessly fear can be your power because fear is power