Jose Luis Rodriguez, Part-Owner,The Station Coffee Shop

Subject Statement: It is definitely very scary to work during this time. We don’t know if people are infected or not, and we don’t want to bring it home. It is challenging to wear the mask because it is difficult to talk and communicate with our staff and our customers. From day one, we have been facilitating food for the community knowing that many people lost their jobs or couldn’t go to work. It is something that the Station has been doing for years. Artist Statement:  I approached this project with the belief that collaboration with the photo subject is imperative for creating more authentic images. I took this a step further and asked my community to help me define the word “essential workers” and asked them to nominate themselves or others to be photographed. Wanting my images to match the ethnic and cultural demographics of my neighborhood, I used the 2010 Census data to assist me in selecting participants.