Camilo José Vergara

Oct 31, 2024 | urbanomnibus.net | Camilo José Vergara

For more than 50 years, Camilo José Vergara, sui generis sociologist and urban documentarian, has been attending to the environments, esthetics, and lifeways of poor neighborhoods in cities across the United States. In New York City, keeping a close eye on “the hood” requires a lot of commuting, both on the subway and by public bus.

Dec 13, 2023 | acsh.org | Jeffrey Singer |Camilo José Vergara

Next Tuesday, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) is scheduled to consider S.644, the Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act (MOTAA). The bill is sponsored by Senator Edward Markey (D‑MA) and co‐​sponsored by Senators Rand Paul (R‑KY), Bernie Sanders (I‑VT), Mike Braun (R‑IN), Cory Booker (D‑NJ), and Maggie Hassan (D‑NH).

Nov 21, 2023 | commonedge.org | Camilo José Vergara

I began documenting Chicago’s Black and Latino neighborhoods in 1980. My intention was to survey decaying areas of the city as a whole, but certain subjects emerged that captured my interest: desolate cemeteries; semi-abandoned high-rise public housing projects, such as The Robert Taylor Homes and Cabrini Green; storefront churches, their services, Bible studies, and choir practices; ordinary houses with their adapted and patched-up elements; murals and signage.

Jul 17, 2023 | commonedge.org | Camilo José Vergara

In the 1970s, I spent five years as a graduate student at Columbia University. The school has always meant a great deal to me, and in a speech at a graduate school award ceremony in 2022, I found myself referring to it as “Mother Columbia.” Later, in December of that year, I was disturbed at the sight of a homeless man sleeping up against the facade of a closed bank branch near the campus. He was covered by a blue Columbia Lions blanket that someone had placed on him while he slept.

Apr 12, 2023 | commonedge.org | Camilo José Vergara

Since the early 1990s, I have been photographing hand-painted murals and signs throughout South Central Los Angeles. My ongoing concern is to record these street images, reflections of the local culture, before they disappear; indeed, many have faded or have been painted over or destroyed.