HIGH COUNTRY NEWS
Black Families Creating Roots in Phoenix

Created in partnership with Capital B News, the assignment explored the experiences of Black families building community and putting down roots in Phoenix. Photographed across multiple days, subjects and locations throughout the Phoenix area.

PARTNER Capital B News · ASSIGNMENT Editorial Reportage · LOCATION Phoenix, Arizona

Text about challenges Black families face creating roots in Phoenix.

Portrait of Rashad Shabazz, photographed by Matt Martian, documentary and editorial photographer based in Phoenix, Arizona

Quote from Rashad Shabazz

Cityscape at twilight with full moon, mountains in background, and a pinkish-blue sky captured by Phoenix-based editorial photographer Matt Martian

Partially constructed wooden roof truss behind a concrete block wall. photographed by Matt Martian, documentary and editorial photographer based in Phoenix, Arizona

Exterior of a small, light blue house with a garage and two green bushes in front, captured by Phoenix-based editorial photographer Matt Martian

Road construction scene on central avenue captured by Matt Martian, documentary and editorial photographer based in Phoenix, AZ

Industrial site with a fenced gate, "Use Other Gate" sign, piles of scrap metal, and overhead power lines against a clear sky. Captured by Phoenix-based editorial photographer Matt Martian

Quote from High Country News Article

Smiling woman with long hair wearing a floral top outdoors, with buildings in the background photographed by Matt Martian, Phoenix, Arizona

Suburban house exterior with a beige garage door, stucco walls, and a low-maintenance front yard featuring sparse desert landscaping with gravel and shrubs captured by Phoenix-based editorial photographer Matt Martian

Open field with scattered trees, soccer goalpost, and a crane holding an American flag against a clear sky photographed by Matt Martian, editorial photographer from Phoenix, Arizona

Quote from High Country News Article

Phoenix city skyline at dusk with mountains in the background, dim lighting, and a foreground of desert landscape photographed by Matt Martian, documentary and editorial photographer based in Phoenix, Arizona

Gentrification photographed by Matt Martian

A "Danger" sign warning of no trespassing on a dirt mound under a cloudy sky. Captured by Phoenix-based editorial photographer Matt Martian

Aerial view of a residential neighborhood with desert-style homes photographed by editorial image by Matt Martian, Phoenix, Arizona-based photographer

Phoenix, Arizona desert landscape at sunrise with scattered vegetation, distant industrial structures, and a bridge under a cloudy sky captured by Phoenix-based editorial photographer Matt Martian

A "Danger" sign warning of no trespassing on a dirt mound under a cloudy sky. Captured by Phoenix-based editorial photographer Matt Martian

Blurred silhouettes of a woman and man with Phoenix cityscape in the backgrounds, trees, and mountains under a clear sky. Captured by Phoenix-based editorial photographer Matt Martian

Statistics from High Country News article

Woman with braided hair in denim jacket and brown dress standing outdoors with sun in background, photographed by Matt Martian, Phoenix, Arizona.