Welcome, listeners, to another compelling episode of Surf Soup Talk Story. Today, we have the distinct honor of diving into the extraordinary life and lens of a true titan in the world of photojournalism – the one and only Eli Reed. For over five decades, Eli Reed's camera has been a witness to history, capturing the face of racism and documenting the raw human suffering in conflicts across the globe. From the streets of Beirut to the heart of Central America, he has been a visual storyteller, unveiling the harsh realities that words alone cannot convey. In 1986, his lens chronicled the coup against Haitian President "Baby Doc" Duvalier. In 1989, he documented the U.S. military action leading to the downfall of Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega, and in 1992, he witnessed and documented political upheaval in Kinshasa, Zaire. His eyes, however, haven't just been focused on international turmoil. In the United States, Eli Reed's camera has tirelessly exposed the evils of racism, creating a visual narrative that speaks to the soul of the nation. His illustrious career reached a pinnacle with the much-acclaimed photographic record of the aftermath of George Floyd's 2020 murder in Minneapolis and Floyd's funeral in Houston, Texas. Eli Reed is not just a photographer; he is a storyteller, a historian, and a compassionate observer of the human condition. A 1983 Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, a full member of Magnum Photos since 1988, and a dedicated educator who retired in 2021 after 17 years as a clinical professor at The University of Texas at Austin, Eli Reed's impact extends far beyond the frames of his photographs. For half a century, photojournalist Eli Reed's photography has captured the face of racism and documented human suffering in conflicts around the world. He has photographed deprivation from Beirut to Central America, and filmed the Lost Boys of Sudan, young men Reed described as "living through life-threatening hell." In 1986, his images chronicled the coup against Haitian President "Baby Doc" Duvalier; in 1989, he captured the U.S. military action that led to the downfall of Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega; and in 1992, he documented political upheaval in Kinshasa, Zaire. In the United States, his eyes have been focused on the evils of racism, his photographs exposing truth in ways that words cannot always express.His long career of documentary work culminated in his much-acclaimed photographic record of the aftermath of George Floyd's 2020 murder in Minneapolis and Floyd's funeral in Houston, Texas. Reed was a 1983 Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, became a full member of Magnum Photos in 1988, and retired in 2021 after teaching for 17 years as a clinical professor at The University of Texas at Austin. He has received many awards and achievements including most recently, the National Press Photographers Association Joseph A. Sprague Memorial Award (2020), Gordon Parks Choice of Weapons Award (2021), and the I.F. Stone Medal for Journalistic Independence (2021).Artist StatementI came into the world as a priest once said, “a child of god,” and I was curious from the beginning about what made us different. The time that I was growing up the Vietnam war was going on, the Civil Rights movement was very important, and even with all that, I loved the idea that it was a beautiful world and yet innocent people were being hurt in all kinds of ways, because of greed, evil, and the lack of understanding that every person on this planet is worth being respected. I went from using a paintbrush to using a camera to see with my eyes what was going on in the world. And I’ve never lost touch with that. I’ve dropped a lot of things behind, but never the urge not to say something and sit on the sidelines. Photo/video credit: Eli Reed https://Surfsoup.tv
