Salimah Ali reveals the ubiquity of loss after hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit the Gulf Region. Her photographs document individuals as they assess the damage done to their homes and draw attention to the heightened meaning of personal objects that remain after the storm.
Ali is one of ten members of Kamoinge—a New York-based collective of African American photographers—who documented communities ravished by the hurricane and the devastation's far-reaching effects on the area's economic, social, and racial fabric. The resulting body of work explores the despair, as well as the hope and resilience, of residents who have lived in these communities for countless generations.