The Americans Who Tell the Truth project is excited to announce the unveiling of its newest portrait, Purdue University Professor of Anthropology Kali Rubaii.The Americans Who Tell the Truth (AWTT) portrait project was founded by Maine artist Robert Shetterly in January 2002 as a means of protesting the lies of the George W. Bush administration in the run-up to its attack on Iraq. Implicit in the project is the truth that there has always been a gap between the stated ideals of this country and its adherence to those ideals. The portraits are of people who have struggled with perseverance and courage to close that gap. There are now over 260 portraits in the series. You can view them here: https://americanswhotellthetruth.org.
As Bill Ayers says, "These are portraits of citizens of a country that does not yet exist."
Dr. Rubaii’s research, writing, and activism bear witness to the environmental and health impacts of US wars in Iraq and the extractive industries that fuel them. Her use of forensic ethnography aims to sharpen collective resistance strategies where coercive power meets the physical world. Her research topics include the impacts of so-called “less-than-lethal” counterinsurgency regimes, corporate-military collusion in the concrete industry, public health crises linked to war toxicity, displacement and dispossession, and the ecological impacts of imperial policies on farming communities. Rubaii is also the co-founder and president of the Islah Reparations Project.
AWTT is dedicated to the belief that a profound understanding of citizenship is the only safeguard of democracy and the best defense of social, racial, economic, and environmental justice. Working with the portraits and narratives of courageous citizens, AWTT crafts collaborative educational and community experiences that illuminate the ongoing struggle to realize America’s democratic ideals and model the commitment to act for the common good.
