BEEHIVE STATE WELCOMES HUMAN RIGHTS PHOTO PROJECT TO SALT LAKE CITY

27 JAN. 2011 – Salt Lake City, UT - On the heels of the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, Salt Lake City will play host to another international event when the I AM EQUAL Project, an unprecedented human rights global photo campaign from commercial fashion photographer Matt Spencer, visits The Sheraton Hotel on 5-FEB-2011. Hundreds are expected to participate as they stand up for the unique civil rights issues that mean the most to them.

“People join this project for many reasons, and we celebrate them all,” explains project creator, Jason Beckett. “Some join the movement to shine a light on children’s rights and to end slavery in Africa; while others are drawing attention to domestic violence or Latino immigration rights. We hear stories from people who are fighting for marriage equality and others who want respect as atheists in a Christian community. The beauty of this project is that there is a place for everyone to participate.”

The doors for the project open at 11:00am and registrations will be taken until 9:00pm. “We’re excited to see Salt Lake City and Utah step up to participate in this project, if only to dispel the myth that there is no diversity in this area,” comments project photographer Matt Spencer. “There are many different types of equality and human rights conversations beyond the broad strokes of race, religion, gender, and sexual identity. A city like Salt Lake is the perfect place to talk about the more finite issues that individuals face on a daily basis.”

Many people have attributed the success and popularity of the I AM EQUAL project to its overarching conversation of inclusion for all people. “I made the decision to become a part of the ‘I AM EQUAL’ project because equality is a basic human right,” explains participant, Jaime S. “I am a straight advocate for gay rights, an agnostic advocate for religious tolerance, and a Caucasian female advocate for sex/race equality. It’s not a perfect world we live in, but we as individuals can make it better.”

The project is driven by social sharing of the photos through email, facebook, twitter, myspace, blogs, and more. Participants are encouraged to be creative and share their photo and reasons for participating with friends, family, and co-workers in an attempt to start a dialog for change in our communities and around the world.

To participate, people are asked to wear a brightly colored shirt and come to the event ready for their photo with hair and makeup complete. A $20.00 donation is suggested to support the efforts of the I AM EQUAL FOUNDATION and the photo tour. Event organizers have said that anyone who is registered before 9:00pm will get a photo, and recommends that those who wish to participate in the project come early in the day to avoid the last-minute rush at the end of the event. As this is a project to showcase individuals stepping up for human right and equality, there are no group pictures at this event.

ABOUT THE I AM EQUAL PROJECT

The I AM EQUAL PROJECT was created by Jason Beckett and fashion photographer Matt Spencer in January 2010 in an effort to empower individuals to speak out about the causes that inspire them. The project goal is to capture more than 100,000 photos of people from all walks of life with the “I AM EQUAL” logo emblazoned on the palm of their hand as a symbol of their commitment stand up for their rights, and the rights of others around the world.
Learn more at: http://www.iamequalproject.org
See the photo collection at: http://photos.iamequalproject.org
Find event details at: http://www.iamequalproject.org/events

I AM EQUAL FOUNDATION
P.O. Box 2040
Salt Lake City, UT 84110

Media Relations:
Malissa Barlow
press@iamequalproject.org

This release was published on openPR.