A Year In American Protests By Mel D. Cole
 A Year in American Protests by Mel D. Cole
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 📸For Your 👀 Only:  Mel D. Cole You may know Mel D. Cole from his music photography — he has photographed SZA, Erykah Badu, A$AP Rocky, Kendrick Lamar, Beyoncé, and more. You may also know him from his stunning, unforgettable images as one of the photographers on the ground with the crowd at the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. Cole's photographs of that day stood out to me on Instagram as I, along with many Americans, watched in horror and disbelief as the mob broke into the Capitol building. His beautiful black-and-white images put the violence and chaos into stark reality. I wasn't the only one who noticed — Jamie Lee Curtis, the actor and writer, also shared Cole's work that day. The two met on Instagram, and Curtis wrote the preface for his new book, American Protest: Photographs 2020-2021.
 Mel D. Cole How did you get into photography? I got into photography by way of music. I photographed a Common show back in 2001 at SOB's in New York City. I took a few disposable cameras to the show as a fan, captured some images, and got them developed at Rite Aid or Duane Reade. I thought, this is cool, put them in a shoebox, and didn't think about them for a while. A few months later, I got a few magazines in the mail, Rolling Stones and Complex. Looking at the pages, I thought, I think my images were just as good. That's what sparked my whole career.
What did it look like once you achieved your goal of becoming a music photographer?
It was fun. I pinch myself when I'm in certain rooms with certain individuals. It was humbling to know that hard work pays off. For a good portion of my career, I had a day job. I worked 9–5 and would go out at night. Once I didn't need the day job anymore, it was refreshing. I felt like a real photographer, finally making it past the "fake it till you make it" mentality.  Mel D. Cole The book is about covering protests in America over the last few years. As a music photographer, how did you end up in Washington, DC, on Jan. 6? After George Floyd was murdered, I dedicated my career and my platform to amplifying and documenting the [Black Lives Matter] movement. I'm such a curious person, I started to learn and intertwine what was going on. You learn who people are, what they want to do, who they're mad at, and why. I wanted to document that too. I documented a few Trump rallies, and I would document Blue Lives Matter counterprotests to BLM protests.
I thought that the rally in Washington, DC, on Jan. 6 was going to be Trump's last hurrah, his last big speech in front of a large audience. I thought I would go because it was the "last one." I didn't know what was going to happen. I don't think anyone from a journalistic point of view knew what was going to happen. I was expecting to get some pepper spray photos, some angry finger pointing, and some arrests. I didn't expect it to be one of the most dramatic and memorable days in US and world history.
One of the most memorable scenes and situations was with the officer Michael Fanone, when the angry mob, the insurrectionists, when they dragged him from the steps and were beating him and yelling "kill him with his own gun." I was able to capture this dramatic image that's included in the book of him pleading for his life, telling the mob that he has kids. Besides that, when the woman was trampled to death by the crowd, I saw that from a little bit of a distance. People yelling "traitor" to the cops — there was a scene — I keep calling them scenes because it felt like a fucking movie. When the crowd on Jan. 6 was chanting "I can't breathe," it was really disrespectful, to me and to Black people around the world. I was scared. I was scared I could die. I wasn't as scared of the people around me, but I've seen what happens when it's a mostly all-white crowd, the police focus in on the Black people.  Mel D. Cole What are your plans going forward? It seems like the protests have died down, as everyone has seen. Now I'm just transitioning back into doing what I was doing before, but on a grander scale. I'm not the same photographer as I was before the pandemic. I'm expanding my soccer business documenting Black and multicultural athletes. I've been working on that since 2009, and it's going well. Other than that, just working on stories that are important to me. Last year, I went down to the border to document migrants, immigrants, people who are trying to cross over the border and make a better life for themselves.
If the protests happen again, and I say if it happens again, and unfortunately it will happen again, another Black man shot or choked by police — if and when that happens, and people march and protest, I'll be there.  📸MORE FROM OUR DESK 📸 As always, here are some of the best photo stories from around the internet, and what we loved from our desk. 26 PHOTOS OF DOGS THAT ARE SURE TO INSPIRE YOU TO TAKE BETTER PICS OF YOUR FURRY FRIEND  Harry Gruyeart
A TRAVELING DARKROOM ON THE SYRIA-TURKEY BORDER IS ENCOURAGING CHILDREN TO MAKE PHOTOS  Sirkhane Darkroom
WE LOOK BACK AT A DECADE OF KIM LOOKING BACK AT IT  Kevin Mazur / Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
5 THINGS WE LOVED THIS WEEK 1. I knew the ocean felt super shark-y this summer, and now I feel vindicated.
2. Pamela Council's "A Fountain for Survivors" in Times Square.
3. Maya S. Cade gives the best movie recommendations on Twitter, and so I was very excited for her project the Black Film Archive.
4. Please join me in finally enjoying youth culture through this non-dystopian (for once!) teen created, Brooklyn-based magazine Teensy.
5. Sinna Nasseri's excellent online show "Rescue Sketches."
LAST LOOK  Anna Rathkopf The end of October brings an end to National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Anna Rathkopf has been using her camera to redefine the cancer journey from the patient's point of view by showing the everyday realities of living with this disease. The photographer is pictured here with her mother. "We are making photographs to understand what our lives mean to us." — Ralph Hattersley That's it for this week! Kate, Kirsten + Pia
📝 This letter was edited and brought to you by the News Photo team. Kate Bubacz is the photo director based in New York and loves dogs. Pia Peterson is a photo editor based in Brooklyn. You can always reach us here.
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