March 11, 2011, Japan.
A 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami destroyed coastal areas. The tsunami also flooded a nuclear power plant, the Fukushima Dai-Ichi, in northeastern Honshu. The triple disaster displaced over 300,000, killed 19,000, and made a 20-mile (30km) radius uninhabitable for decades to come.
On the anniversary of the disaster, Naomi and Michael Slack executed a charitable concert at River Road Unitarian Church in Bethesday, MD called, “Concert for Japan”, the only March 11th memorial event in the DC-Metro area.
The Slacks began planning the event in October 2011 as an opportunity for reflection and prayer for the victims and survivors of the devastated northeastern portion of Japan. They solicited sponsorship throughout DC, Maryland, and Virginia and distributed self-designed flyers to raise awareness and make the concert possible.
There was no charge for attending but donations were accepted, with 100% of the proceeds going to Japan via the Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA.
The concert had three themes: Introspection, Brotherhood, and Hope.
“It was an amazing and fulfilling benefit, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat,” Naomi Slack said.
I went to photograph the concert and continue to raise the awareness of the deep, multiple hardships such disasters place upon the survivors. They have lost their homes, loved ones, and potentially their health from radiation exposure.
