Most of us find it hard to merge two of our passions and have it result in something not only interesting to ourselves, but also important for the world at large. Some of us struggle with turning something many unfairly judge as being simply a “hobby” into something substantial. Cynthia Trinh has slid past both of these obstacles and created something really significant.
Cynthia Trinh is a photographer and social activist living in New York City and has developed a project called Activists of New York. This project showcases her photographs of marches, protests, and demonstrations currently happening in New York.
She’s been an activist for many years, working as a legal observer with the National Lawyer’s Guild during Occupy Wall Street, volunteering at pro bono legal clinics for underprivileged New York citizens, and acted as a Fellow with Organizing for Action. Activists of New York was not her first instance of linking art with activism, during law school she directed and produced a documentary film about the difficulties gay couples face when adopting children. By the way, Cynthia is a also a Creative Arts Advocate!
Trinh decided to combine her love of photography with her dedication to social activism, believing: “We are seeing the new civil rights movement, and I wanted to be there to document this historic movement.” With the recent decision to not indict officer Darren Wilson in the Ferguson, MO case in which he shot and killed unarmed Michael Brown, the illegal cholkhold death of unarmed Eric Garner by police officers, and many other cases of police brutality, Cynthia is on the front lines bringing awareness to such injustices.
Trinh covers all the movements she can involve herself in, documenting all the advancements she sees; “Without someone to document, no one will know what is happening. This is why the media is so important, and independent media shows what the mainstream media won’t.”
To view more of Cynthia Trinh’s work, visit: CindyTrinh.com
