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Joshua Lott

Journalist, Washington Post

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Joshua Lott

For more than 15 years, photojournalist Joshua Lott has traversed the ever-changing landscape of American news, covering some of the most important events of our time.

Lott's passion for photojournalism and social justice began in Rogers Park, one of Chicago's most ethnically and culturally diverse communities. His formative years were enriched by the city's tumultuous history and his own experiences with the Chicago Police Department and Cook County Sheriff's Office. These stories grew a deep determination to document inequality and racial injustice through the lens of a camera.

In the lead-up to the 2008 presidential election, he followed candidates in Iowa, South Carolina, Florida, and Wisconsin. 

After President Barack Obama was elected, Lott based himself in Phoenix, where he covered the historic immigration marches and the protests against Arizona's immigration law S.B. 1070.

As the nation turned its attention to Detroit in the wake of bankruptcy, Lott spent a year covering Motor City's fiscal crises, documenting the intersections of race, class, and loss.

Since 2014, Lott has followed the story of American uprisings against police violence. He covered the fallout after Michael Brown was killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Mo., then when Laquan McDonald was killed in Chicago by the CPD, and when Philando Castile was killed in St. Paul, Minn., during a traffic stop. He was dispatched to Minneapolis after George Floyd was killed by police there and continued to cover the summer of protest in Houston; Louisville; Kenosha, Wis.; and Portland, Ore.

Lott is a staff photojournalist for The Washington Post and a part of the Race and Identity team. Before joining The Post, he was a regular contributor to The New York Times, Reuters, Getty Images, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, Agence France-Presse, The Marshall Project, Bloomberg, and The Washington Post. His work has been featured in publications around the world.

 

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