Timeline

PROOF was conceived at a photojournalism conference when founders Leora Kahn and Colin Finley decided to use the power of photography to call attention to the genocide in Darfur.

2017

January

• Ferguson Voices: Disrupting the Frame exhibition launched at Roesch Library, University of Dayton
• Partnership project with Girl Be Heard, Janette Beckman (photographer), Cey Adams (artist/designer) creating collage portraits promoting the end of rape culture in the United States 

February

• Ferguson Voices: Disrupting the Frame exhibit opens at the Northwest branch of the Dayton Metro Library.

March

• Photography project in partnership with Cinthya Santos-Briones begins at Lyons Community School. 
• (un)DOCUMENTED exhibited at the ten year celebration of the New York State Leadership Council 

April

• Leora Kahn, Executive Director, speaks and teaches workshop at the 2017 Upstander Symposium at the University of Dayton
• Partner with Clark University to facilitate Witnessing: Working with Testimonies for Refugee Advocacy workshop
• Pilot program LinkBack begins at Cobble Hill Health Center in partnership with the New York Foundation for Elder Care, documenting and celebrating elder stories of activism and moral courage
• (un)DOCUMENTED exhibit on display at the Gary Lichtenstein Editions at Mana Contemporary in Jersey City, New Jersey

May 

• PROOF serves as Artist in Residence at Avenues: The World School for an intensive Picture Justice program exploring economic justice in New York City

June

• One day photo exhibit of One City, One Million Stories at Avenues: The World School following in-school Picture Justice program
• One day performance and photo exhibit event at Cobble Hill Health Center celebrating the success of the LinkBack program

August

• Picture Justice program celebrates fourth summer in New York City with an examination of debunking immigrant myths through photo and story
• Ferguson Voices: Disrupting the Frame panel discussion at the Saint Louis Public Library

September

• In partnership with the United Nations International School, our joint exhibit (un)DOCUMENTED will be on display at the 6th Annual Photoville 5-day photography event in New York City.
• In partnership with Girl Be Heard PROOF hosted an event and exhibit advocating for an end to gender Based Violence. The event honored and displayed work by photographers Janette Beckman and Blake Fitch

October

• Picture Justice fall after school program at Centre for Social Innovation

November

• PROOF celebrated our work and achievements at the 7th Annual PROOF Benefit Auction at Affirmation Arts in New York City. Longtime supporter and donor Roger Harris was awarded the PROOF Upstander award.
• The first edition of the PROOF POST - an advocacy newspaper is released

December

• Leora Kahn, photographer Janette Beckman and scholar Anita Fabos in Athens, Greece worked with refugee women who reside at the Refugee Accomodation and Solidarity Place City Plaza. The women learnt how to share their stories with photography
• Ferguson Voices; Disrupting the Frame Exhibit on display at Newark Public Library, New Jersey
• Broken? Exhibit on display at Lyons Community School, Brooklyn, New York

2016

January

• PROOF facilitated the Witnessing: Working with Testimonies for Refugee Advocacy five day Workshop in NYC for professionals and advocates.

March

• Broken?, a PROOF photo exhibition that details the US criminal justice system at United Nations International School to support a one day conference on mass incarceration.
• PROOF Executive Director Leora Kahn launches the Moral Courage Institute at Dayton University.

April

• Broken?, a PROOF photo exhibition that details the US criminal justice system at The Fortune Society as a part of their 2016 Arts Festival.
• PROOF Executive Director Leora Kahn at Bard College as an invited guest speaker at the "Courage to Be" Seminar.
• PROOF Creative Director Willhemina Wahlin redesigns a projected version of The Rescuers exhibition for the ArtWalk, Port Macquarie, Australia, as part of her Doctoral research into 'difficult exhibition' design.
• PROOF Associate Director Debra Driscoll expands the Imagine A Day Project to Kosovo and trains 24 teachers, activists and community leaders the methodology and practice of engaging children and youth with Applied Performance and Imagination.

May

• PROOF's Moral Courage Project conducts 35 interviews in Ferguson, Missouri that chronicle the acts of moral courage of those transformed by the protests following the shooting of Michael Brown in 2014.

July

• PROOF Executive Director Leora Kahn presents paper on using refugee testimony for advocacy at the International Association for the Study of Forced Migration hosted by the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Poland.
• PROOF's Picture Justice program expands the Broken? exhibition and examines mass incarceration in the United States.

August

• PROOF's Picture Justice program examines the topic of immigration policy, reform, and human rights in the United States.

September

• Broken?, a PROOF photo exhibition that details the US criminal justice system is featured at the 5th Annual Photoville 5-day photography event in New York City.
• Child Soldiers exhibition on display at the Johannesburg Genocide Centre, South Africa.
• PROOF Executive Director Leora Kahn at Bethel Woods Centre for the Arts, Woodstock NY, as an invited guest speaker at the Photography and the Human Story Event.

October

• 17th: PROOF Turns 10! PROOF celebrated its 10-year anniversary at Affirmation Arts in New York City with a cocktail reception, live music, honored guests, and a limited edition photography auction.

November

• 12th: "(un)DOCUMENTED" Picture Justice photo exhibition displayed at United Nations International School (UNIS) in conjunction with a one-day symposium on immigration.
• 18th: PROOF Executive Director, Leora Kahn, gave a lecture on "The Rescuers: The Role of Upstander Testimony as a Peacebuilding Tool" at Aristotle University's "Disrupting the Frame: Repositioning Photojournalism for Change" Conference in Thessaloniki, Greece.

2015

January

• "Picture Justice" photo exhibition displayed at United Nations International School (UNIS).
• PROOF at Chobi Mela in Dhaka at the International Festival of Photography, the biggest photography event in Asia.

February

• "Unearthed" photo exhibition displayed at a TedX Event in Radwha, Saudi Arabia. The conference event hosted six female speakers who shared stories, research and realities of Muslim women and their identities as perceived by the world.
• "Child Soldiers" Exhibition on display at Pleiads Theatre, Toronto
• "Rescuers: Picturing Moral Courage" displayed at Dayton University, Ohio. 

March

• 12th: "Unearthed" photo exhibition displayed at United Nations in
  New York City.
• UN Centre for Social Research, our Indian partner, panel session at NGO Commission for the Status of  Women Forum. Initiatives to Prevent Violence Against Women in Asia Pacific Region.
• 19th: "Unearthed" photo exhibition displayed at the UN Centre for Social Research for "Making of Non -Violent societies for Women".

May

• PROOF Executive Director Leora Kahn traveled to Erbil, Kurdistan, Iraq to attend a women's rights conference, and to research rescuers in the region.

June

• PROOF hosted its Annual Benefit Auction at Swann Auction Galleries in
  New York City.

July

• PROOF Creative Director Willhemina Wahlin and PROOF Executive Director Leora Kahn traveled to Armenia for the Twelfth Meeting of the International Association of Genocide Scholars.

August

• PROOF's Picture Justice program examined the topic of mass incarceration in the United States, with particular emphasis on the issues impact on life in New York City.

November

• Broken?, a PROOF photo exhibition that details the US criminal justice system is launched at United Nations International School.

December

• Unearthed, Stories of Courage in the face of sexual violence.
  Photo Exhibition opens in Dehli India.

2014

January   

• "Unearthed" program development in India.

March       

• Holocaust Museum Houston: "Rescuers" exhibit opened
  on 28th (displayed until 31 August).

May       

• UNFPA: University of Lasandes, Colombia, "Legacy of Rape"
  ("My Body: A War Zone").

June       

• University of Magdelana, Colombia, "Legacy of Rape" ("My Body: A War Zone").
• PROOF's partner in Geneva, Track Impunity Always (TRIAL) submitted a communication to the Human Rights Committee on behalf of Fulmati Nyaya, alleging several violations of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights using testimony collected by PROOF.           

August          

• The Intercultural Innovation Award: United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and the BMW Group ;The Rescuers/Ordinary Heroes with their partner, PCRC.
• Picture Justice Workshops with Abby Macphail.

September  

• Yale University Conference, "Sexual Violence in War: New Understandings and New Responses", Leora Kahn, Founder and Executive Director, PROOF: Media for Social Justice, Keynote.

October

• Saint Thomas More Catholic Chapel and Center at Yale,
  "Legacy of Rape" Exhibition.

November  

• Johannesburg:  The United Nations Information Centre, together with the High Commission of Canada and Constitution Hill, opened a photo exhibit on children and armed conflict, titled “Children of War: Broken Childhood” on 20 November 2014.

2013

• Yale University’s Genocide Studies Program accepted PROOF’s Testimonies, audio files, and video into its archives.
• "The Legacy of Rape" continued its tour of legal clinics run by the American Bar Association in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
• "The Legacy of Rape" was on display at the U.S. Institute of Peace, Washington, D.C., for a conference on sexual violence in conflict areas called “Missing Peace 2013.”
• "The Legacy of Rape" was on display at the 11th International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights, Geneva, Switzerland.
• “Rescuers” was on display at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
• Director Leora Kahn presented a paper on the role of stories of memory and rescue in the aftermath of violence at the Media, War, and Conflict Conference in London in April.
• The Kigali Memorial Museum displayed the “Rescuers” exhibit of Hutu rescuers in Rwandan high schools to promote reconciliation in that country.
• Director Leora Kahn flew to Israel to teach a course at Tel Aviv University, as a Fulbright Senior Specialist aiming to reach out to activists and peace builders, whose ranks included Jews, Arabs, Bedouin, and other committed people from around the globe. As part of her Fulbright, she taught a diverse group of international affairs students how to use visual media for human rights campaigns.
• Over 200 people attended PROOF’s Annual Benefit Auction.
• Our partner organization, Youth for Peace, expanded our “Rescuers” exhibit in Cambodia (originally exhibited in 2011) by printing the photos on plastic sheets and wrapping them around wooden poles. They then took it to the countryside, traveling to villages in seven districts in four provinces in Cambodia.
• Director Leora Kahn presented a paper on the Rescuers at the 10th International Conference of the International Association of Genocide Scholars.
• Winners of the second annual Emerging Photojournalist Grant have their images exhibited at VII Gallery in Brooklyn, New York.
• Rescuers continue to travel around the Balkans with PROOF’s partner CJR.

2012

• PROOF created a new exhibit called "The Legacy of Rape," which was on display in legal clinics run by the American Bar Association in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
• "Picturing Moral Courage: The Rescuers" was on display in the U.S. and in Australia at the following locations:  University of Nebraska, Kearney, Nebraska; University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts; Raritan Valley Community College, Branchburg, New Jersey; Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana; University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota; and the Jewish Holocaust Centre, Melbourne, Australia.

2011

• "Picturing Moral Courage: The Rescuers" traveled to Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina for the Media, Arts and Social Change Conference presented by the U.S. Embassy to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Post-Conflict Research Center (PCRC), Center for Justice and Reconciliation, and PROOF: Media for Social Justice. A two-day conference included workshops such as “Creating Dialogue Through Drama” with New York University graduate Yosefa Forma, “Panel Discussions: Using Media for Social Change,” and closing remarks from General Romeo Dallaire, former UNAMIR General who was based in Rwanda during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide.
• "Picturing Moral Courage: The Rescuers" traveled to Cambodia for a three-week exhibition at Meta House in Phnom Penh, and included workshops for young adults held by PROOF’s partner, Youth for Peace, a local nongovernmental organization.
• "Picturing Moral Courage: The Rescuers" was also on display at the International Conference on Transitional Justice in Geneva, Switzerland, as well as in the U.S. at the Putney School and Riveredge, Vermont; School of International Training, Brattleboro, Vermont; and San Diego State University, San Diego, California.

2010

• The U.S. Embassy in Spain sponsored the travel of the "Picturing Moral Courage: The Rescuers" exhibition around Spain to promote awareness of social justice.
• Darfur continued traveling in the U.S. to the Garlen County Library in Hotsprings, Arkansas; University of New Hampshire, Dimond Library; and Barness Family Jewish Community Center, together with the film, "Darfur Now."
• "Child Soldiers" was exhibited in Japan in Tokyo and at the Kyoto News Gallery and in Vienna, Austria, at the Museum of Military History.

2009

• PROOF’s Darfur exhibit continued traveling in the U.S. to the Boston Public Library, University of Arkansas, Anne Kittrell Gallery, Illinois Holocaust Center, and Idaho State Historical Museum, together with the film, Darfur Now.
• PROOF’s "Child Soldiers" was exhibited at the U.N. and at Powerhouse in New York City.
• "Child Soldiers" exhibit was also on display in Rome, Italy, at the Campidoglio, in Mexico City Mexico, and at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Beppu, Japan.
• PROOF opened its exhibition of Rwandan Rescuers, which displayed portraits and remarkable stories of Hutus who rescued Tutsis during the Rwandan genocide. This exhibit has traveled to high schools throughout Rwanda.
• Ms. Kahn spoke at Yale  University at the Genocide Studies Program-Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics 2009 symposium, “Genocide, Rescue and Prevention: Understanding and Fostering Rescue Behavior in the Face of Mass Killing.”
• PROOF was involved in two conferences on rescuer behavior at Yale University in conjunction with the Genocide Studies Program and the Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics.

2008

• PROOF’s Darfur exhibit began traveling around the U.S., together with the film, Darfur Now, starting with JFK High School in Plainview New York.
• PROOF and sponsor Deutsche Welle opened the first exhibition of Child Soldiers at the Bonnkunst museum in Germany.
• PROOF approached the U.N. Children in Armed Conflict office to create a worldwide traveling exhibition on child soldiers that opened at the U.N. in November. The exhibit has since traveled to Vienna, Mexico, Tokyo, and Canada as well as to several universities in the U.S.
• PROOF partnered with the Child Soldiers initiative headed by General Romeo Dallaire.
• Ms. Kahn spoke at the 2008 colloquium “Rescuers of Genocide Victims: Research Perspectives for the Future” at the Genocide Studies Program-Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics 2009 symposium, Yale University.
• PROOF’s "Child Soldiers" was exhibited in Rome, hosted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the City of Rome as part of the symposium, “Children and Young People Affected by War: Learn, Understand, Act.”
• "Child Soldiers" was exhibited in Bonn, Germany, at the Media and Peace Building Conference and the Bundeskunsthalle Museum.
• "Child Soldiers" was exhibited at the U.N. in New York.
• Ms. Kahn joined the prosecutor for the International Criminal Court, Louie Morano Ocampo, in addressing 125 member states of the U.N.
  

2007

• PROOF partnered with Amnesty International to produce a book, "Darfur: Twenty Years of War and Genocide in Sudan." Amnesty International created a curriculum for high school students based on the book.
• PROOF partnered with the Holocaust Museum of Houston to create the exhibition “Darfur: Photo Journalists Respond.” The 25 images vividly represented the reality of genocide, and the people in the photographs are a reminder of life’s beauty and preciousness. PROOF’s exhibit informed viewers and inspired them to take action.
• In 2007, the prosecutor of the International Criminal court approached PROOF with the idea of creating a book on the issue of child soldiers. This book features 34 prominent photographers and focuses on countries with a history of child warfare as captured by photographers and writers from across the globe. It explores the children’s time as combatants as well as their demobilization and rehabilitation. PROOF’s “Child Soldiers: Forced to be Cruel” exhibit is based on the book "Child Soldiers," by Leora Kahn. It features 40 photographs of child soldiers from around the world who have been manipulated by war criminals and subjected to unspeakable violence. The goal of the book is to influence international policy makers to stop the use of child soldiers around the world.