A conversation on photography, expression, and radical community transformation with Jil Gomes.

Interview conducted by Stetson Hines

What city did you grow up in?

San Francisco, Daily City, and South San Francisco, CA.

What was it like for you growing up in the Bay Area?

Honestly a blessing and a curse because of the cost of living here in the Bay Area.

What high school did you go to? 

El Camino High School in South San Francisco, California

What was the experience like being Latino? 

That’s a big question because Latino has many shades, so many types, and for me on my end, because of my pigment and what, not, a lot of people didn’t think I was Latino until I started speaking Spanish. And got to know me culturally off the bat. They immediately think I’m a European colonized type of Latino. And when they did find out I was Latino, it depended upon the other person's view of me. Whether or not they were going to be receptive towards me or use derogatory names like wetback, or your parents probably came here illegally type of attitude or whatnot. It’s many aspects of the experiences or where I would be more favored in the Latino community because of my fair skin compared to my brothers, sisters, and ancestry bloodline would be very diminished.

Where did you go to college? 

San Francisco State University.

Why did you decide to go to school there? 

It was local, and I could save money.

How did you get into photography? 

Once I finished college, I needed a new outlet because I got rejected from graduate school. And I like to learn new things, so I picked up a hobby, plus it fascinates me, so I picked up from there.

What type of pictures do you like to take? 

 I like things with colors, things you could saturate. Colors, to me, have a lot of meaning but not cultural meaning. For example, blue doesn’t mean depression, and I think I like playing with the color.

What type of camera do you currently use? 

I use a Canon EOS Rebel T5 Rebel. It’s a very elementary type of camera.

How do you feel about San Francisco today? 

A lot has changed and not in positive ways, in my opinion.

How many of your friends and family have been displaced due to gentrification? 

My mom and my family got displaced. And they had to move out to the East Bay, and they have to keep going further out in the East Bay. I have a lot of friends that use to live here in Bay View Hunters Point now. They no longer live around here.

How does that make you feel? 

It makes me sad and hopeless about what’s coming up next for my family and me.

Can we ever go back to the way San Francisco used to be? 

No, it’s changed dramatically.

How can we prevent more displacement? 

More equal job opportunities that pay well and have more control on the house rates of houses

My last question for you is how San Francisco has shaped you? 

I would have to say my political mindset because we have so much diversity, ideology, and friendly acceptance it’s shaped me to be more understanding of different cultures and people and their ideas.