FACING OURSELVES

The genesis of the Facing Ourselves Project was forged on the frontlines of the waves of Northern African, Western Asian, and the Middle Eastern refugees that have been crashing upon the shores of Western Europe. While other documentarians focused on the dramatic and politically charged journeys, Patricia Houghton Clarke returned to southern Italy in 2016 to quietly turn her camera upon recently arrived refugees and native-born locals welcoming newcomers into their midst.

The ensuing portraits gently remind us that regardless of their respective histories and legacies, the subjects share the same hopes and desires, wishes and dreams we all have. They are not strangers we are coming face to face with, but rather, friends and neighbors; and that we are ultimately facing ourselves.

Now, the Facing Ourselves Project has grown to include a diverse collection of on-going community initiatives that confront the challenges, misunderstandings and stigma accompanying forced migration around the world.