What if we could find that Venn diagram of thought and belief and align our commonalities — would our cries for change still be ignored?
Words & Photos by Emily Dorio
August 7, 2024
It’s hard not to feel like my home state of Tennessee is an ideological battleground. The frontlines of radical, polarizing political issues. Arming teachers, denying self-autonomy, banning pride and drag, limiting access to healthcare, the open misogyny of our Statehouse. Have we ever felt so divided among our communities? Fear, division, and inequality is the meal being served to us hot most days.
It sometimes feels hard to catch my breath or find the plot in a hyper-focus to push through policies and agendas that benefit a specific few. Division is a strategy of warfare. If an enemy can be divided, an enemy can be conquered. But I don’t want to feel like a combatant or someone to be subjugated. I want peace and to live in this state without fear of suppression or a culture war, and I know there are others who seek the same. If we unite on the ramparts of common ground, will we be defeated? Where do we look for hope? How do we meet fear with optimism? How do we claim the world that is here for all of us?
The women in this photo essay are warriors of change. They enter my lens with their own political beliefs, advocacy work, and legacy. Each is armored with a strength and an optimism that a better world is ahead of us.
Singer-songwriter, queer-rights organizer
As a queer Black woman, Russell shatters the boundaries of country and Americana music. In 2023, the Grammy Award winner organized Love Rising, an all-star benefit concert at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville featuring the likes of Jason Isbell and Maren Morris in response to Tennessee's legislation that banned gender-affirming healthcare for trans youth and restricted drag performances. She told Out that she believes that “empathy is a superpower and diversity is not a dirty word. … Our differences are riches … our rainbow coalition is unstoppable.” Her music is a gift to all who feel unseen.
Russell was photographed in her neighborhood of East Nashville.
Poet, author, social justice advocate
The daughter of songwriter and author Alice Randall, Williams may be best known for her 2015 cookbook, Soul Food Love: Healthy Recipes Inspired by One Hundred Years of Cooking in a Black Family, which she co-wrote with her mother, and her book of poetry, Lucy Negro, Redux, an exploration of the theory that Shakespeare had a Black lover, which was later adapted into a ballet. Williams has taught at universities including Fisk and Vanderbilt, and her words keep watch over social injustices and serve as a reminder that we cannot look away.
Williams was photographed at the Fisk Memorial Chapel.
Singer-songwriter, defender of the heart
Evincing strength yet vulnerability, Diaz’s songs dive into the paradox of beauty and the complexities of modern female identity. Her 2021 album History of a Feeling captures a breakup and her ex-partner’s gender transition in electric and occasionally excruciatingly heartbreaking music. Her latest release, Weird Faith, is a rich, lush, and intimate reminder that love is always worth the risk.
Diaz was photographed in East Nashville.
Mothers to gun violence survivors
These women were thrust into the political spotlight after the 2023 mass shooting at The Covenant School that took the lives of six people, including three of their children’s then 9-year-old classmates. Alexander and Joyce are the moms who speak with restraint when we are weeping and gnashing our teeth. They are working across the aisle to lobby for commonsense gun legislation in Tennessee, finding purpose in the pain and advocating for a safer world. They will not give up.
Alexander and Joyce were photographed outside the state Capitol.
Hollywood trailblazer
As the first woman to independently win an Oscar for best screenplay for her runaway 1991 feminist hit, Thelma & Louise, Khouri has long proved women can break all the rules. Her catalog is fiercely female-driven; she’s credited as one of the first to put strong women at the forefront in entertainment and popular culture.
Khouri was photographed in her home in Nashville.
Singer-songwriter, champion for children’s healthcare
In 2020, Colvin’s husband, Jeff, and 3-year-old son, Judge, were hiking in a local state park when a 75-foot oak tree crashed down on them. It was a horrific, near-death accident that caused Judge to suffer a traumatic brain injury. No facility in Tennessee could offer Judge the rehabilitation services he needed, so Colvin navigated a difficult yearlong move out of state. Committed to ensuring that no Tennessee family has to do the same, she founded the Out of the Woods Foundation with her husband to support children recovering from brain and spinal cord injuries and raise funds for an inpatient rehabilitation center at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.
Colvin is photographed on the tree that almost took the lives of both her son and husband.
Pediatrician and pediatric psychologist for gun safety
Dr. Gastineau and Dr. Kreth work on the medical frontlines at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt to protect children from suicide and firearm injury, taking evidence-based action against the tragedies of gun violence and slumping mental health among youth. Guns are the leading cause of death for children and teens in the U.S. and in Tennessee. By promoting safe storage practices (which reduce the risk of unintentional firearm deaths by 85 percent and firearm suicide by 78 percent) and fostering open conversations about mental health, they work to prevent these tragedies from occurring in the first place.
Gastineau and Kreth were photographed in a trauma bay in the emergency room of Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt.
Classical music iconoclasts
Combining their classical training with soulful melodies from R&B, hip-hop, and gospel, sisters Chauntee and Monique Ross redefine classical string instrumentation, defy the rules, and use their music as a catalyst for inclusivity and social change. The violin and string duo was voted “best instrumentalist” for the Americana Music Association's 2023 honors and played alongside Joni Mitchell at her powerful performance at the 66th annual Grammy Awards. They toured with Brandi Carlile, who’ll produce their upcoming album.
SistaStrings was photographed at The Violin Shop.
Democratic state representative
In April 2023, after the mass shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, Johnson, a former special education teacher, and two other state representatives took to the floor of the Statehouse to fight for gun control. Johnson proudly refers to herself as a member of the “Tennessee Three," and she continues to fight for gun safety measures to prevent future shootings. Now she aims to take her cause to the U.S. Senate by unseating incumbent Republican Marsha Blackburn.
Johnson was photographed at the state Capitol.
Emily Dorio is a photographer based in The Southeast, whose work and campaigns have been used globally. Dorio's work focuses on storytelling - eliciting emotions and highlighting the beauty and authenticity of her subjects from portraits to still life. Her work intentionally focuses on stories that uplift and empower and is known for her unique and artistic approach to capturing moments.
