LaToya Ruby Frazier
LaToya Ruby Frazier is a world-renowned photographer, artist, and activist. She grew up in the struggling steel mill town of Braddock, Pennsylvania. Frazier started taking photos of her friends and family when she was 16. She soon attended the Edinboro University of Pennsylvania at age 17 where she earned her bachelor's of fine arts before going on to get her MFA in photography from Syracuse University. While in school she came across a photo, “American Gothic” by Gordon Parks. That photo propelled her into a career of activism. Frazier’s first body of work, entitled “The Notion of Family”, took her over 14 years to complete. It focused on life in Braddock Pennsylvania after the steel industry collapsed. She skillfully shines a light on the environmental racism and classism of this steel mill town. In this body of work, she includes a shot of her own family home as well as many self-portraits. Since then she has published many books all focused on mill an...