American Sketches
America is a country of paradoxes and complexity. While people often rush to classify and simplify our collective identity, this project seeks to peel back those layers, allowing individuals to dictate their own narratives. Through intimate portraits and stories, American Sketches will explore the lives of individuals in three distinct regions—Eagle Pass, Texas; the Mississippi Delta; and Orlando, Florida—highlighting their struggles, hopes, and everyday lives. The issues of immigration, LGBTQ rights, and racial discrimination will be explored through the unique lens of these regions, presenting a humanizing and nuanced portrayal of life against the backdrop of churning social and political landscapes.
Photographs by: Ed Kashi
Role: Photo Editor
Juan Estrada, 56, with his daughter, Arianna, 7, and wife, Enodelia, at his home in Dilley, Texas, on April 24, 2023. He is the former city manager for Dilley and now has a small trucking business. He is of Mexican heritage and also served in the National Guard and the Air Force. Photo by Ed Kashi.
Juan Estrada, 56, drives his car while his horse follows him at his home in Dilley, Texas on April 24, 2023. He is the former city manager for Dilley and now has a small trucking business. © Photo by Ed Kashi.
Juan Estrada runs a small trucking business and today is ferrying caliche from Sabinol to Dilley, Texas on April 25, 2023. Photo by Ed Kashi.
A family playing baseball in Eagle Pass, Texas on April 25, 2023. Photo by Ed Kashi.
Cornelia Muzquiz, 72, is a conservative republican who was born in Mexico, at home in Eagle Pass, Texas on April 28, 2023. She lives perched above the Rio Grande and often has to confront illegal immigrants who have crossed the river from Mexico, which is across the river from her home. Photo by Ed Kashi.
Cornelia Muzquiz, 72, is a conservative Republican who was born in Mexico, at her Episcopal Church of The Redeemer in Eagle Pass, Texas on April 30, 2023. Photo by Ed Kashi.
Elias Diaz, a former gay porn star, the compliance officer for the Maverick County Hospital District and city council member, making an appearance at a Mexican children’s day event in Eagle Pass, Texas on April 26, 2023. Photo by Ed Kashi.
Elias Diaz, a former gay porn star, the compliance officer for the Maverick County Hospital District and city council member, in his home in Eagle Pass, Texas on April 30, 2023. Photo by Ed Kashi.
Elias Diaz, a city supervisor, at a loteria fund raiser for a local politician in Eagle Pass, Texas on April 27, 2023. Photo by Ed Kashi.
Lisa Cain with her daughter Kazandra conduct an early morning cardio fit workout class in Eagle Pass, Texas on April 28, 2023. They conduct 3 classes a day. Photo by Ed Kashi.
A playoff game with the Eagle Pass High School Lady Eagle softball team in Eagle Pass, Texas on April 29, 2023. Photo by Ed Kashi.
Poncho Nevarez stands outside his ranch as a border patrol boat cruises by in Eagle Pass, Texas on April 27, 2023. His ranch runs along the Rio Grande and the border with Mexico. He often has to deal with migrants crossing the river onto his lands. Photo by Ed Kashi.
Poncho Nevarez, a former Texas state legislator, surveys his ranch along the Rio Grande river where the debris left behind by migrants who have crossed the river from nearby Mexico litter the landscape, in Eagle Pass, Texas on March 12, 2024. Photo by Ed Kashi.
A Mardi Gras parade in Oak Cliff, Dallas, Texas on February 19, 2023. Photo by Ed Kashi.
Christi Miller harvests rice in Dundee, Mississippi on September 25, 2023. Photo by Ed Kashi.
Christi Miller, pregnant with twins, harvesting rice in Dundee, Mississippi on September 25, 2023. Photo by Ed Kashi.
Robert Miller with adopted son Jaylen, 13, harvesting rice in Dundee, Mississippi on September 25, 2023. Photo by Ed Kashi.
Robert Miller with Christi Miller, her father James Bland, 62, and their workers at the grain bins in Sledge, Mississippi on September 26, 2023. Photo by Ed Kashi.
Robert Miller with Christi Miller, her father James Bland, 62, and their workers at the grain bins in Sledge, Mississippi on September 26, 2023. Photo by Ed Kashi.
Robert Miller studies the Bible with Percy Bass in Coahama, Mississippi on September 26, 2023. Percy is formerly incarcerated. Photo by Ed Kashi.
Jimmy McClellon, 62, an entrepreneur in Cleveland, Mississippi, squirrel hunting near the Mississippi River on September 30, 2023. Photo by Ed Kashi.
Watson Turnipseed, farmer, attorney, musician, with his fiance Sydney Bush and a friend on Hampton Lake near Sumner, Mississippi on October 2, 2023. He was born in Memphis, raised in Sumner, Mississippi and now lives in New Orleans. Photo by Ed Kashi.
Watson Turnipseed, farmer, attorney, musician, in Sumner, Mississippi in one of his family's cotton fields on October 2, 2023. Photo by Ed Kashi.
Scenes at the funeral of black cowboy Moonie Miles in Cleveland, Mississippi on February 25, 2023. Photo by Ed Kashi.
Scenes during Juke Joint Festival 2024 in Clarksdale, Mississippi on April 13, 2024. Photo by Ed Kashi.
A Gold Star Memorial Service at the Quitman County Courthouse in Marks, Mississippi on September 28, 2023. Photo by Ed Kashi.
Southern Nights is an LGBTQ bar & dance club that features drag shows and lively events in Orlando, Florida on June 24, 2023. Photo by Ed Kashi.
Audience members react to performers at the Juneteenth celebration at the Renaissance Theatre in Orlando, Florida on June 19, 2023. Photo by Ed Kashi.
Southern Nights is an LGBTQ bar & dance club that features drag shows and lively events in Orlando, Florida on June 24, 2023. Photo by Ed Kashi.
Shea Quinn Cutliff, 39, originally from Georgia, is a trans woman who advocates for trans rights, at Cocoa Beach, Florida on June 19, 2023. Photo by Ed Kashi.
Shea Quinn Cutliff, 39, originally from Georgia, is a trans woman who advocates for trans rights, with Nebula Jackson, 27, a trans woman and close friend, at a Pride of Color event in Orlando, Florida on June 24, 2023. Photo by Ed Kashi.
Kim Short, a teacher and Republican activist involved with Moms For Liberty in Volusia County photographed in Daytona Beach, Florida on June 21, 2023. Photo by Ed Kashi.
Jarrett Johnson (dad), Justine (mom), Dash, 10, Emerson, 7, Archie, 5, and Margot, 2, at home in Orlando, Florida on June 21, 2023. They home school their kids. Photo by Ed Kashi.
Jarrett Johnson (dad), Justine (mom), Dash, 10, Emerson, 7, Archie, 5, and Margot, 2, at home in Orlando, Florida on June 21, 2023. They home school their kids. Photo by Ed Kashi.
Jarrett Johnson (dad), Justine (mom), Dash, 10, Emerson, 7, Archie, 5, and Margot, 2, at home in Orlando, Florida on June 21, 2023. They home school their kids. Photo by Ed Kashi.