Under Our Skin: Talking about race

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Under Our Skin is an interactive video project that grew out of conversations about how we at The Seattle Times cover race at a time when national and local events — the furor over police shootings, the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, protests on college campuses and charged campaign rhetoric — dominate headlines.

Coming together from all corners of the newsroom, a group of videographers, developers, editors, reporters, photographers and designers decided to examine 12 words and phrases that we noticed people using and interpreting very differently — terms like “microaggression,” “safe space” and “white privilege.” We invited 18 people who represent a mix of ages, backgrounds and perspectives to talk about what those expressions mean to them. Those conversations, which often lasted several hours, were insightful, thought-provoking, honest, at times funny — and sometimes uncomfortable.

Thirty-one hours of video footage were woven into 12 closed-captioned videos focusing on each of the words, plus a background video on each of the 18 participants. Viewers can watch the videos in whatever order they wish. When they’re through, they are invited to share their responses.

Silver, 2016 Society for News Design Best of Digital, Features: Single-subject project, The Seattle Times, “Under Our Skin”

  • My role:
    • Pre-production & concept development
    • Videography
    • Interviewing
    • Editing

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