Dean Whitbeck fell into the craft of photography 25 years ago when teaching English. Photography, he says, allows him to bridge language with images, while also spreading awareness about societal issues.
Last year, while reading the newspaper, Whitbeck saw a small article offering statistics on refugees. He was taken aback by the high number of refugees around the world and partnered with ReEstablish Richmond, a nonprofit that helps refugees establish roots in the area, and the International Rescue Committee. In 2017 alone, 626 refugees resettled in the Richmond region. Whitbeck’s goal for this refugee portrait project was literally to put a face on the crisis and ignite conversation.
“These people are forced out of their homeland because of religious and political persecution — they didn’t want to leave … they’ve been through an unimaginable trauma,” Whitbeck says.
To photograph the refugees, he traveled to citizenship, ESL and driver’s education classes and created mobile portrait studios. Whitbeck limited the number of frames he took to fewer than 10, hoping to evoke a sense of intimacy.
“I wanted to remove anything that distracts us from the truth from the person in front of us.”
—Eileen Mellon
Esther, Democratic Republic of the Congo: Esther, who came to Richmond in March 2016 from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, lives in eastern Henrico and is a caretaker for many of the children in her community.
Samuel Uk Deu Lian, Myanmar: Born in Hakha City (Chin State), Myanmar, Samuel fled his native country 11 years ago with his family. He was in high school at the time. Samuel speaks Hakha Chin and Burmese fluently and is working with a tutor to become fluent in English. He would like to make the world a better place by being a bridge — connecting two different worlds and cultures — and continuing to serve others so that they feel welcomed and accepted for who they are, no matter who they are.
Dil Maya, Bhutan: Dil left Bhutan in 1991, when the majority of the Bhutanese were forced to leave the country in the early 1990s due to ethnic cleansing. Before coming to the United States in June 2012, she lived in a refugee camp in Nepal. Dil, who worked as a farmer in Bhutan, comes from a family of 14. She speaks Nepali fluently. “I wish I had received an education when I was younger, and maybe I could have done better things for society,” she says, “but now I simply wish for peace — no conflict or war, in the U.S. and around the world.”
Gorette Mukankaka, Democratic Republic of the Congo: Born in 1982 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gorette had to move to Rwanda when she was 12. She lived in a refugee camp until she was 33 years old and was resettled in eastern Henrico. She is a single mother to five children. When she was in the camp, she had odd jobs cleaning and taking care of the camp. Since she moved to Richmond, she has held a full-time job at Fiorucci Foods, which produces Italian deli meats. She has worked hard to learn English. She believes that she is making the world a better place because she is providing for her children, who are able to go to school and learn.
Abdulwahed Ladaa, Syria: Abdulwahed was born in Hama, Syria. He fled the country over five years ago, first traveling to Lebanon, and then Jordan. In January 2017, he was resettled in Richmond. In Syria, he worked in a coffee shop. Now, he is a painter for Global Painting, a Richmond-based painting company staffed by refugees from Burma, Congo, Syria and Afghanistan. He speaks Arabic and is learning more English every day, with a ReEstablish Richmond volunteer visiting weekly to help him learn English so that he can take on more responsibilities at work. He believes that the world would be a better place if it were more peaceful.
Merci, Democratic Republic of the Congo: Merci, who is 11, came to the United States with her mother in September 2016. She attended ReEstablish Richmond’s fourth annual community resource fair at the Tuckahoe YMCA in April 2017.
Alexis, Rwanda: Alexis*, whose parents are from the Congo, was born in Rwanda in a refugee camp. He grew up there until age 16, when he came to the United States as a refugee and was resettled in Richmond with his siblings and their mother. A Henrico High School student who wants to go to college one day, he speaks English and Kinyarwandan, the most commonly spoken language in Rwanda. He works with the Richmond Peace Education Center and helps lead workshops to teach kids how to resolve conflict more peacefully. *(Not his real name)
