Public Story
God's Country
The more time I spent with this particular family, the more I started to understand the reasons behind some of their choices in regard to the basic tenets of their ideology, so this was exactly the type of family dynamic I was looking to document.
In 2013, a year after Dan and Sabrina gave birth to their second child diagnosed with autism, they started reading about National Socialism. The couple felt the diagnosis of both children was somehow related to man-made influences, such as hydraulic fracturing and mandatory vaccinations for children attending public school. After a series of personal and career misfortunes, the ideology of National Socialism fell in line with their core beliefs and quickly became part of their daily lives. Today, they remain outspoken members of the White Nationalist movement and have nine children ranging from 1-month to ten years old, four have been diagnosed with autism.
One of my objectives while documenting white separatists has been avoiding the cliché’s and not relying exclusively on symbolism to tell the story. The challenge with documenting individuals that hold these beliefs is finding a balance, as the rallies and events staged for the media play an insignificant role in their daily lives and actually serve more as a tool for recruitment.
I originally committed myself to two years to produce a well-rounded project, but as I’ve grown closer to the family I'm hoping to continue as the children age and embark on their own ideological journeys in the years to come.
- I have unparalleled access (and insight) to numerous organizations that are classified by the SPLC (Southern Poverty Law Center) as extremist groups. I'm open to projects that are free from sensationalism and editorial slant.
5,037
