Longtime friend + collaborator David Goldman recently debuted a compelling new project he’s dubbed The Birth Lottery.
The project was born from another, earlier documentary photo project he did on migrant sugarcane workers (more on that in a 2014 interview we did with him) that got him thinking about what it means to have more or less stacked against you from the start in life. As he admits, whether or not one is born with privilege or hindrances is somewhat open to interpretation, but few would deny that many of us are born with an advantage over others.
As he puts it personally: “There is no question that I won #thebirthlottery. I am the son of middle class parents born in Toronto, Canada. I didn’t get everything I wanted but I was never in need of anything. As a student, I was not the best, but when I found photography, I worked hard to ‘make it.’ I still work hard. In my travels for work, I’ve met people that have worked way harder than I have yet they seem destined to struggle with barriers beyond my comprehension. I have also met those who have not really had to work too hard for anything and seem destined to succeed in spite of themselves.”
His new ongoing photo project works to examine that concept, telling stories with image and words of individuals working to change the results of their birth lottery.
Visit #thebirthlottery web page to find out more about the project and David’s work.
Photo by David Goldman.
