A portrait photography project with commercial truck drivers.

I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain. —JAMES A. BALDWIN

In 2012, my mom was killed in a head-on collision with a commercial truck driver who was driving under the influence. In the days and months following my mother’s death, I said some things about truck drivers that I’m not proud of. They were an easy target for my hate because one truck driver irresponsibly drove his truck and impacted my life and family forever. 

In Brene Brown’s book, Braving the Wilderness, she encourages her readers to “move closer to each other, because people are hard to hate close up.”

Reading her book made me look at my biases and helped me realize that while I no longer hate truck drivers, I still didn’t personally know any. By centering this portrait photography around truck drivers, I am attempting to change that. To move in closer. 

This ongoing portrait photography series allows me to visit truck drivers and their families and get to know them, showing who they are, exploring what their lives are like beyond the road, and weaving together the inextricable connection I will forever have with truck drivers. I didn’t choose to be connected to truck drivers because of the death of my mom, but I can choose what to do with it now. This portrait series is a part of that.

This is an ongoing photography series. If you or someone you know is interested in participating, please email me at heyhello@morganmichelebrown.com