The Year Thus Far — Photos Of Protest, New Beginnings And Final Goodbyes

Plus, searching for the American Dream along roads named Paradise. by Jill Hudson Here are a few recent visual stories you may have missed. [Jean Moukarzel lives in Beirut's neighborhood of Gemmayze.]( Yasmina Hilal for NPR The scale of devastation from the Aug. 4 explosions in Beirut — on buildings, infrastructure and people's livelihoods — is still hard to comprehend. Photographers on the ground captured residents in their destroyed homes and workplaces, and got a glimpse of their experiences in their own words. "Here is lots of destruction, but [this is the future]( says one of the subjects, engineer Riad al-Assaad, who is trying to rebuild. --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- Documenting Identity And Purpose [Don Munro says he and his wife, Betty, sometimes have to catch themselves from going in for a handshake or a hug if they run into friends at the nearby general store.]( Tara Wray for NPR In the best of times, a healthy portion of the year in rural Vermont requires a type of isolation and self-sufficiency unknown in many parts of the country. The COVID-19 pandemic, on the other hand, presented many hardy Vermonters with a special kind of challenge. Photographer Tara Wray, a Vermont transplant from Kansas by way of New York City, traveled through her community to take portraits — through windows and [from a safe distance]( — of her older neighbors. Artist and photographer Nadiya Nacorda has been documenting her siblings for nearly a decade. Her new photo book, A Special Kind of Double, features [images of her brother Khaya and sister Thandiswa]( growing up and captures the little moments that mean so much. Inspired by their own journey as a nonbinary person, photographer Salgu Wissmath decided to explore some of [the experiences of other trans and nonbinary people](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Seasons Of Protest [At a Houston protest, a young black man came up to the front lines and asked each officer if they felt any sympathy about what was going on. The responses they gave him were: none.]( Anastassia Whitty NPR talked to eight Black photographers about their experiences covering protests and demonstrations around the U.S. after the killing of George Floyd in May. Photographing Black Lives Matter protests from Seattle to Washington, D.C., Los Angeles to Houston is about [telling "our own history in real time]( says Brooklyn, N.Y.-based commercial photographer Mark Clennon, "because our parents, and grandparents never really had a chance to have their voices heard." [Protesters gathered at Independence Square in Minsk on Thursday. They have come out in unprecedented numbers since the Aug. 9 election that returned Belarus' authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko to power amid accusations of vote-rigging.]( Sergei Gapon/AFP via Getty Images Nearly two weeks after an Aug. 9 election kept Belarus' authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko in power amid accusations of vote-rigging, massive daily protests against Lukashenko continue and [neither side is backing down](. --------------------------------------------------------------- More Picture Show Picks [Sophie, Paradise Road, Orrville, Ohio]( Eliot Dudik Back in 2013, photographer Eliot Dudik set out to find what the American dream really looked like, five years after millions lost their jobs, homes and savings in the 2008 financial crisis. His photo series takes viewers on a journey across the country, from empty grasslands to suburban lawns, [focused only on roads named Paradise](. Belgian photographer Harry Gruyaert's book Edges captures scenes of calm seasides and coastal hues from around the globe. Gruyaert says he strives to discover these "miracle" moments of beauty through [his exploration of light and color](. --------------------------------------------------------------- A Final Goodbye [Left, Angelia Hill, of Alexandria, Va. Right, John Nash, from Aldie, Va.]( Tyrone Turner/WAMU Many people braved July's brutal heat, long lines, and anxiety about the pandemic to pay their last respects to Rep. John Lewis as he lay in state at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Here are portraits of a few of the mourners and their words about [what the civil rights leader meant to them](. --------------------------------------------------------------- What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [bestofnpr@npr.org](mailto:bestofnpr@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! 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