Sunday night we went to a local book signing. Our friend Leroy Barber has a mission to his community here in East Atlanta and has written a book, New Neighbor, about being a neighbor where ever you are. He is a great inspiration to us in how he serves other and the way he sees possibility. He is fighting social injustice and often makes us stop to think about the changes we could and should be making.
Here is an excerpt from his book:
“We are regularly bombarded with the message that our world is getting smaller. We have more information about more people and cultures than we’ve ever had before. Yet our sense of disconnectedness continues to grow. How is it that we know people in other cities or even other countries, yet know nothing of the lives of the people next door? New Neighbor challenges our assumptions about what a neighborhood could be. This vivid gallery of words and images gives us a glimpse into what Leroy Barber and many of his Mission Year team members are discovering about being a New Neighbor. It is an invitation to join this movement. To explore, question, wonder and wrestle with others who are longing to be New Neighbors.”
Chris did Leroy’s portraits over the summer and they were used in this book.
We just “found” your blog and website a few weeks ago through Cypress Albums, and love your work! Just sifting through older posts, I saw this one and am so glad you’re fans of Mission Year, too! One of our friends, Ashley Pharis, just finished Mission Year Chicago (and works for them, now) and is excerpted in Leroy’s book. Just had to share the coincidental connection. Keep up the great work–it’s inspiring more than just artistically!
Thanks for joining in this project to get Leroy’s stories out to the world. It was great to see the two of you at the release party. The shots are awesome! I haven’t seen many still photography or product shots by the two of you before…these are incredible. I want to see more! They make the book look super sweet.