The history of American involvement in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba is long and fantastically complex – based on numerous conversations I have had in recent weeks, much more so than most people realize. Over the past month, my personal knowledge of Guantánamo Bay has grown exponentially, and I know it will continue to do so the…

“We’re going to be involved in a project about Guantánamo.” Crickets chirped loudly in my mind as I frantically tried to extract any information I had stored on Guantánamo in my mind. “Isn’t there a prison or something there?” This was the only fact I knew about the place, besides it is located in Cuba…

The language of post 9-11 Guantánamo is intrinsically messy. Terminology is designed to be complicated, interwoven with the realities of legality and circumstances. This couldn’t be truer when referring to the group of 300 men, detained at Camp X-Ray between January to March 2002. Camp X-Ray was originally built in 1994 as a detention facility…

My first thought when approaching this project was that the Guantánamo Public Memory Project’s traveling exhibit should tell the powerful stories of detainees held at Guantánamo. However, as I have thought about it more, I concluded that would simply be white noise. These stories are not new. People have told them. The masses haven’t responded.…

The visual topography of Guantánamo in recent public culture is minimal to nonexistent, narrowly ranging from orange jumpsuits and shackles to barbed wire and chain link to nothing at all, as the issues surrounding Guantánamo fade into the collective unconscious with every passing year. Photographer Christopher Sims takes up the subject of this singular and…

Early on when planning our panel for the Guantánamo Public Memory Project, we were given the option of including a way for visitors to participate via text message. Presented with a yes or no question, visitors could text their response and see the collected results presented in real-time or on a website. I am all…

The passage of the current National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in December 2011 was intended to keep Americans safe for the foreseeable future. It stipulated the amount of federal spending on defense for the fiscal year 2012, while laying the groundwork for counter-terrorism operations currently undertaken by the United States. However, this bill contained controversial…

I am not alone when I ask, “What is torture?” In fact, many presidents have asked that same question. In attempting to answer this question, and decide for myself if I agree with the two people in this photo, I have stumbled deeper into confusion. I have become even more confused about the prospect that…

In considering a reflective blog on what strikes me most about the Guantanamo Public Memory Project, my attention immediately focuses on recognizing the emotional connection that many people share regarding the United States government and U.S. presence in Guantánamo Bay.   Before being introduced to this thought-provoking exhibit, I had no previous knowledge of the racial…