As a group of 100 demonstrators marched through the streets of central Harlem in New York City seeking justice for George Floyd, photographer David Katzenstein was there too, documenting the peaceful protest. “In peaceful formation they chanted NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE as they moved forward, voices and homemade placards raised in unison,” he describes. “Bystanders chimed in, giving support as police vehicles passed by without stopping. No violence, no hatred. They just want their voices to be heard.“

In line with a number of other projects that deal with the human experience, Katzenstein decided to document the current protests with the hope of showing how residents have congregated in the streets of their own neighborhood to peacefully protest by using the civil rights given to them under the law. 

“Based in New York City, I decided to go up to Harlem, where I heard that a rally was underway,” says the photographer. “When I arrived the larger rally had already dispersed, but a smaller one had just splintered off. Safety is always a concern when documenting stressful situations, so I was constantly aware of my surroundings and what was happening outside of my visual field.”

Katzenstein has had plenty of experience documenting these types of important moments in history while also staying safe but still engaged in the moment. Over the past 35 years, he has traveled extensively throughout the world creating imagery in the tradition established, he says, by documentary and reportage photographers such as Cartier-Bresson and Josef Koudelka. “With all of my work my goal is to document with emotional engagement and a deep respect for humanity.”

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