A Harvard student, Halpern was willing to risk his place at this Ivy league school in order to guarantee the financial security of the custodians of his school. Arguably because of his photography, Halpern befriended and came to learn much about the work life of the keepers of Harvard's grounds. With what seemingly began as a series of portraits, Halpern eventually came to document the financial insecurity of the workers of Harvard and brought it to the attention of his fellow students. By helping create a sit in for creating a living wage, Halpern changed the future of his school through his photographs and through his passionate commitment to a subject.
While my photograph choice might not showcase his photographic ability too much, it does showcase the personal integrity of Halpern as a Humanist and as a Photographer. The one portrait included is one of the first in this series and introduces an otherwise hidden subject to the viewers, which at the time where Harvard students. The two photos of the people at the table are of the final result of the sit in, in which the management of Harvard agreed to renegotiate living wages for all Harvard employees. The top image is one of the very beginning of thee sit-in in which the students took over the office of the president and did not leave for several weeks. This is truly a story of inspiration and I learned so much from his images.
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