Mission

   “The American Superhero Project” uses the power of portraiture alongside interview-sourced vignettes to broaden people’s understanding of what constitutes the modern American story.

   The project is inspired by the activism of New York City-based cartoonist, speaker, and performance artist Vishavjit Singh, aka Sikh Captain America. With turban, beard, glasses, and brown skin, his portrayal of Marvel’s Captain America challenges us with a discordant image of the traditionally blue-eyed, blond-haired patriot in red, white, and blue. Singh presents on the potency of storytelling to find the many intersections in our diverse narratives. To build on his mission of creating connection in a divided culture, he and I and a scrappy team have come together to capture the dynamic range of what it means to be American.

   The project uses humor, compassion, and art to welcome individuals to step into their own versions of the iconic American hero. Studio portraits of overlooked heroes alongside high-profile changemakers are paired with their words about the moments that have defined them. There is a superhero within us all, regardless of nation of birth, beliefs, orientation, gender identity, race, ethnicity, age, abilities, profession, family makeup, and background. At a time when the din of all that appears to divide society takes center stage, we want to revere the cacophony of struggles and triumphs, strengths and vulnerabilities, that unite us.

Team and Progress

   At our core, we are a photographer, performance artist, administrator, producer, and videographer. We pitched the idea to friends via social media in March of 2019. The response was humbling. Three weeks later, more than 40 everyday heroes and a small group of volunteers gathered at a decommissioned immigration building in Seattle. The day became a production, with wardrobe and makeup stations, portrait sessions, and video and audio recorded companion interviews. Participants, staying much longer than the shifts they signed up for while swapping stories of what it means to walk the world with their own experiences, said they felt heard and valued. The photo essay, a microcosm of the global family, debuted on July 4th, 2019, on BuzzFeed News.

   The project grew beyond our immediate circles and soon starred Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, former Houston Mayor Annise Parker, and Washington State Supreme Court Justice Mary Yu. Still, for every public figure featured, there are just as many names you don’t know. Among the ever-expanding league of 100+ superheroes are a college student whose Mexican mother was just deported; a high school teacher battling ALS who’s helping to develop eye-triggered technology for paraplegics; a survivor of Cambodian genocide who found safe haven in America; eight-year-old identical twins who have each come out as transgender; a 99-year-old who served in the Navy as a nurse during World War II; and a multiracial baby whose mother, an Eritrean refugee, dreams of genuine equality so she doesn’t have to worry about his safety as a young man out on the streets of America.

   As photographer, editor, and project lead, I have dedicated more than 1,300 hours in 60 weeks (as of April 2020), aided by a rotating cast of 20 contributors who have additionally put in hundreds of hours. The project has exhibited at University of Washington Tower, Vermillion, and Retail Therapy, and write-ups have appeared in The Seattle Times, International Examiner, Crosscut, The Seattle Globalist, The Daily at UW, Real Change, Town Hall Seattle, and PBS NewsHour. I’ve made two trips to D.C., where U.S. Reps. Deb Haaland, Veronica Escobar, Silvia Garcia, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley, and Ro Khanna, along with two Obama White House officials, shared their remarkable anecdotes of service. The Smithsonian has expressed interest in archiving the work in the coming years.

Strategic Priorities

   The project is generative. We see its role as providing a space where our stories beneath the headlines and statistics—often from underrepresented communities—are given voice and recognition. We want to continue replicating those feelings of affirmation and empowerment experienced when people are given a platform to reclaim their identity as Americans. By the end of 2021, we plan to have collected at least 100 more portraits that reflect our shared experiences to create a composite of real-life superheroes. We’ve already compiled a list of more than 60 individuals, predominantly from Seattle, from diverse walks of life whom I’d like to suit up in tights, shiny gloves, and with star-spangled shields. Many have already signaled their intent to be involved.

   When people tell their stories, it helps honor ours as a whole. We all have unique and different—yet familiar and relatable—tales to tell. I want people to see themselves in these stories and for those who aren’t interested in threads about diversity craving to hear more about Americans they didn’t know are just like them.