I Am an American, Oakland, CA, March 1942

Already pushing boundaries as a female portrait photographer, Dorothea Lange left a comfortable life in San Francisco to work for the FSA and document the migrant experience. She was motivated to make work that would inspire change in the country, and her work did often spark federal aid or intervention for those in need. Ultimately she went on to work for several other government agencies following the depression. In I Am an American, Oakland, CA, March 1942, a banner boldly and proudly proclaims the citizenship of the shop's relocated Japanese American proprietors. These simple words become a deeply felt identification, a powerful protest, and a profound plea all at once. Lange has captured this so poignantly, with the business that the ambitious American's built dark and quiet below the bold contrast of the sign, shuttered by their own neighbors and country.