1. Melissa Lindley
Jose Galvez
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Pulitzer Prize winning photographer Jose Galvez spoke to a small audience of
students and faculty in the Sweigart Auditorium on November 28. Galvez was a
guest speaker on behalf of Hispanic Heritage Month, and presented a small gallery of
his work and traditional Latin foods prior to his lecture. In lieu of the celebrated
month, Galvez discussed how his Latino upbringing influenced his photography and
inspired him to use his art to educate people about the community he was raised in.
Galvez has been what he refers to as a street photographer, taking candid
photographs of everyday people doing ordinary things. For over forty years, he has
been taking photographs across the country, particularly in his home state of
Arizona and in the Southern United States. His work has been featured in numerous
museums, including the Smithsonian, and he was the first Mexican American staff
photographer for the Los Angeles Times.
The given presentation was titled Shine, and it focused heavily on the
struggles he faced as a Mexican American, and how he decided to become a
photojournalist. He explained that the cultural conflict and limited education that
the general public has about the Chicano movement made him want to educate
others. His constant exposure to the environment made him want to share a slice of
the culture with others.
“I had opportunities, and I took advantage of them,” he said.

2. His exposure to the world of journalism began when he shined shoes for the
staff of the Arizona Daily Star, spending his days shadowing reporters, being a copy
boy, and carrying out small errands. Falling in love with photography after
purchasing his first camera, he struggled to pursue his passion with a weak support
system of people who did not want him to succeed. He ended up becoming the first
member of his family to graduate college, getting encouragement from the
journalists who saw him as more than just a Mexican boy from a poor family.
“My family didn’t really value education,” he explained, saying that they
considered higher education and non blue-collar work as “trying too hard”.
Despite the minimal support, Galvez used this as encouragement to highlight
the various aspects of what it means to be Chicano. He explained that the word took
on not just the identity of being Mexican American, but embracing the community.
His photos feature various people that he encounters when he travels, some he
knows personally and others strangers. Some of them include neighborhood
children playing on the street, field workers, and even gang initiations. The focus is
to give people a taste of someone else’s life.
“Pictures are about memories.”
Galvez’s photographs are particularly unique because he not only uses
exclusively film, but also shoots only with black and white. He finds that color is too
distracting, and detracts from the image that is being captured. Digital photography
to him is considered sloppy and “all looks the same.” He likes that black and white
has a documentary type feel to it, and the aspect of simplicity that it carries.

3. “Film challenges you to be good. It makes you sharper and think about the
image.”
One of Galvez’s missions is to make people see much more than just the
generalizations that are attributed to the Latino community. He has focused on
trying to change the way the country views immigration and racial issues as a
whole. He wants people to know that not all members of the Latin community are
taking advantage of the system, and that we should take the time to ensure that
immigrants can have the resources to flourish and become citizens.
“We’re all very much alike,” Galvez stressed. “We share the same interests,
religion, family, work. I want people to break those stereotypes they have.”
Overall, the number one goal for him is not just to have the Chicano
community experience his work, but for people of every cultural background to
have the opportunity. Education, to him, is the most important thing to help unite
the community and continue to help the culture integrate even more into American
society. Eliminating stereotypes, encouraging the Latino society to pursue higher
education, and embracing roots is what he feels will help better society.
“Shine,” he concluded. “Serve your people. Honor where you came from.”