A local troupe of creatives
collaborate to confront racism via
unity in diversity photoshoot

> An interview with the Diversity Development Project’s founder Teresa Hanul Seo

 

CJ Sommerfeld
Staff Writer

 

Te Hanul Seo—who is of mixed African-Koren descent, is fighting
against the discriminatory modern social zeitgeist via her Diversity
Development Project. By highlighting the beauty in racial diversity
through photos and video, Hanul Seo proposes a society where racial
solidarity exists. “Il hope that this project becomes a clear example of
the beauty behind diversity. Through the pictures and videos that were
created, | hope the efforts of these various individuals putting aside their
differences and accepting each other for who they truly are brings light
into [the] possible product[s] that embracing multiculturalism enables.”
Hanul Seo tells the Other Press about her Diversity Development Project.

A ton of light was rightfully shed on racial disparities via anti-
racist movements during the last two years. The hateful acts which
had been occurring among many blind eyes are being confronted like
never before. Through protests, demonstrations, and other means,
the systemic inequalities experienced by the BIPOC communities are
being broadcasted, demanding acknowledgement and change. Hanul
Seo and her troupe of creatives approached this racial reckoning
through a unique medium: photo and video. “The BLM, as well as the
Stop Asian Hate movement, were definitely the primary motivators in
terms of moments for this project. | personally found that both these
movements’ advocate for the rights of members within my family, as
well as myself which is something that is very important to me.”

The project's vision and their collective efforts culminated in the
video, “LOVE EMERGES’ which can be viewed on Youtube as well as on
their website. In it, a narrator sketches the video's intention of unity in
diversity, saying:

“Diversity is creativity. It is passion, it is individuality, it expresses our
uniqueness, and it is an accurate representation of the world. It is being
able to come together to appreciate each other's differences, but most
importantly | believe that it's through diversity that love emerges.”

And while the project's creations were a success, it did not appear
this would be the case early on. “If I’m being completely transparent,
| had a lot of doubts in regards to whether or not this project would
even be probable to coordinate. | think the most pivotal phenomenon
would be watching the continuous violent attacks on minorities, and
how they were being overlooked as ‘crime’.” These violent attacks
incentivized Hanul Seo to go forth with the project. In doing so she has
drawn awareness and conversation around this epidemic of violence by
suggesting a new way to combat this brutality; namely, by embracing the
unity that comes with diversity.

The video and photoshoot coming together was in itself an example
of unity in diversity with different ethnicities collaborating to create
something beautiful. The creatives who were involved in the project—
the videographers, photographers, stylists, web designers and models,
had only just connected to transform this diversity development idea,
into a tangible project. “Not a lot of people knew each other. | got in
contact with everyone mostly via Instagram. It was so amazing to see
people of such various [sic] backgrounds, not only in race but in age,
career, gender, educational backgrounds, etc. By the end of the shoot,
we were able to have so much fun and call each other friends.”

Using the mediums of videography and photography allowed the
diverse ethnicities of the creatives who were involved with the project
to be at its forefront. “We used photography as the primary mode of
display because there were not many photos like the ones we created.

 

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