'Bigger than just me’: Community donates cash for protest photographer’s broken camera

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Charlotte photographer is thanking his community after their donations helped him continue documenting history through the lens of his camera.

Joshua Galloway is using his camera to capture masked protesters, city leaders, families, and people of all ages and backgrounds.

“I had to document what was happening in our city,” he said. “I can’t have anybody in our city thinking this can't happen in our backyard, as a 30-year-old black man in Charlotte, it’s bigger than just me.”

His photos show people marching, engaging one another, engaging police, pushing against racial inequality, and calling attention to police brutality and the death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer.

“The things people have been yearning for… it’s not that we want to even overpower,” Galloway said. “We just want equality, we want to be treated with respect, we want to feel safe.”

Galloway was trying to get an aerial view of Monday’s NAACP march when he said a light bounced off a building and hit his camera. It fried his lens.

He said he couldn’t afford a new lens but wanted to continue his mission. So, he started a GoFundMe page. Within hours, the community rallied around him and he even received donations from strangers. They donated over $5,000 to make sure he could continue documenting this historic push for change.

Galloway was shocked by the response and expressed his thanks the community.

“I have been in tears, I can’t stop crying, I can’t stop expressing gratitude,” he said. “Seeing all these messages of people supporting me, it re-framed my mind… I’m even hungrier than I was before… I want to motivate the younger generation in this moment.”

Peaceful protests in area call for justice, unity Peaceful protests in area call for justice, unity

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