Cristy and Sabastian standing in Cristy's Kitchen in March of 2021: photo posted to Facebook Page Debbie Discovers Atlanta and Beyond on March 19th, 2021.
I put Roswell, Georgia, into my GPS, taking a short detour from my usual route through Atlanta, in anticipation of velvety chocolate cupcakes, flavorful sandwiches, and creamy cheeses – all gluten- and dairy-free. Had it not been for a man who took to the streets of New York in 2010 with a camera in hand and a project in mind, I wouldn’t have been making this stop.
His project – to photograph 10,000 New Yorkers on the street, creating an exhaustive catalogue of the city’s inhabitants – was initially simply a photography effort. He posted striking portrait photos to a Facebook page dedicated for the purpose – HONY: Humans of New York. And thus, a community was created that has impacted people around the world, increasing social value.
“Even the pimp industry is going green.” (May 27th, 2012, Post to Facebook Humans of New York page.)
Eventually, he began to post short remarks the subjects made as he interviewed him. He has a gift for capturing quotes that create an emotional connection. As the project progressed, the interviews got longer, often being posted in installments.
“Judging by his face, he most likely just inked an 8-figure record deal.” (Sept. 4, 2012, Post to Facebook Humans of New York page.)
"Growing up my mother would let me put on anything I wanted to wear and dance around the house. And I still believe in that. I made this hat from toilet paper rolls." (Jan. 2, 2023, Post to Facebook Humans of New York page.)
“It felt like freedom, maybe; but I was spiraling. There was a hurricane in my head: certain addictions, and impulsive decisions that could affect me for the rest of my life. Other people would see it, and they’d say: ‘He’s so fun.’ But nobody was looking at me, really. They’d never have noticed if I was hurting myself, or if I slipped away. I got good at floating around and giving people what they want-- just enough positivity-- so I could get through the moment and leave a good impression. But I can’t do that with her. When I think a certain thing, she reacts. She wants to know more. And when I feel a certain way, she feels it too. Nobody’s cared like she cared, you know? I feel seen. I feel found. Like there’s something outside of me. Like somebody touched my face. Sometimes when I’m sleeping, she’ll do this thing. She’ll reach over and touch my face. She’ll just hold onto it. And that’s the image that keeps coming into my head, when I try to describe her. She touched my face.” (Dec., 28, 2022, Post to Facebook Humans of New York page.)
Not since the days when you could only watch a television show on the exact date and time it aired had I so eagerly awaited the next installment of a story – multiple posts rolled out one-by-one about real people usually with a single shot to accompany the post.
(1/3) The 3-post series of Tony Hillery, the Harlem Gardener, begins: “I was a Prada-suit motherfucker. I was running a limousine company. But when the last financial crisis hit, I lost all my lines of credit and the whole thing came apart.” (Aug. 15, 2021, Post to Facebook Humans of New York page.)
One story stands out above the rest for me: the 12-part series of Cristy and Sabastian and their attempt to use the hard-won baking knowledge and skills Cristy had learned treating her children’s health needs. They immigrated to the United States – with 5 young daughters – at the start of the pandemic – to open a café and bakery. You can imagine how that went. Through grit and determination though, they had made it 16 months, and were in desperate need of help.
Brandon Stanton is the photographer, and he has created multiple layers of community connection and social value with his project. On one level, social value is given in the form of simply being exposed to how other people live, deal with challenges, and view the world. On a higher level, he brings together people in community who rally around the remarkable people in the stories – creating social value for those profiled as well as those coming together to make a difference in other’s lives and thus enriching their own lives.
Readers offer empathy, encouragement, and occasionally concrete support to those profiled.
Brandon has become a master interviewer and storyteller. He makes no income off of the page itself, turning down lucrative offers; instead, he has published several books of collections of the photos and stories.
Cristy and Sabatian’s 12-part series is a love story, a roller coaster of plummeting crushed dreams followed by sparks of hope, medical emergencies, and a family grasping to tenacity and determination to make a safe and healthy life for their 5 children.
In the middle of pandemic, after the 12th installment of Cristy and her family’s story posted, Brandon put up a GoFundMe page. I accessed it within the first hour of being live, and the $500,000 goal was already nearly reached. With 42,000 people engaged, donations surged to over 1.2 million – allowing them to pay their piled up medical, rent, and other bills, get the café on solid footing, and hire help. Through it all, Cristy generously provided those in similar situations with her recipes and food knowledge for free. Eventually, supporters begged her to produce a cookbook, which she did, publishing in 2022.
And thus it was that I found myself pulling into the lot of Cristy’s Kitchen in Roswell, Georgia, on a sunny May day in 2021. I didn’t get to meet Cristy that day, but I did chat briefly with Sabastian who is as lovely in person as he is in narrative. I had a delightful sandwich meal in the open-air back patio and loaded up on cupcakes, cheeses, and baked goods before heading home.
What began as reading a social media post became an experience to engage in with the rest of the HONY community – 42,000 of them - supporting an immigrant family offering delicious and nutritious foods to others who may or may not be experiencing some of the same health challenges as their children.
Participating in the journey – both online and in-person by visiting the café - increased my social value in feeling a part of the HONY community in a meaningful way that made life better for a family who is making life better for others with similar nutritional and health needs and challenges. Supporting the family increases the social value for them by being connected to others and increases the social value of the HONY community.
And, when social value increases, the world is just a little bit better, a little bit more connected.
Golden Connection Challenge: When accessing your social media communities this week, look for opportunities to offer a few words of support, empathy, and encouragement to someone whose post touches you. When one person does that, it increases the social value between you, the poster, and the community – when hundreds, thousands, or 42,000 do it, it begins to change the entire culture of the community so that it can impact the world in meaningful ways like the HONY community through Brandon’s work - one guy with a camera and a project.
Check out the HONY Facebook page or their blog. https://www.humansofnewyork.com/
“Taken together, these portraits and captions became the subject of a vibrant blog. HONY now has over twenty million followers on social media, and provides a worldwide audience with daily glimpses into the lives of strangers on the streets of New York City. Over the past five years, it has also expanded to feature stories from over twenty different countries. The work is also featured in three bestselling books: Humans of New York, Humans, and Humans of New York: Stories.” (From HONY Facebook About Page.)
You can visit Cristy’s Kitchen in person as well as order online through their Facebook Page or website. http://www.cristyskitchenga.com/