News Article

Inspired by the legend of the Cherokee Rose, The Trail of Tears Photography Project is to document the lives and stories of victims and those affected by domestic violence. All photographers are welcome to submit photographs, please enter a description, title of the photograph you have submitted.

All fundraising proceeds will go to various non-profit organization(s) to establish and support programs that assist victims and survivors of abuse.

We are also looking for creative ideas for flyers that raise awareness about the various aspects of domestic violence. Please feel free to come join us. Ideally these images will be used by various communities once we have a large enough collection.

Legend of the Cherokee Rose

When the Trail of Tears started in 1838, the mothers of the Cherokee were grieving and crying so much, they were unable to help their children survive the journey. The elders prayed for a sign that would lift the mother’s spirits to give them strength. The next day a beautiful rose began to grow where each of the mother’s tears fell. The rose is white for their tears; a gold center represents the gold taken from Cherokee lands, and seven leaves on each stem for the seven Cherokee clans. The wild Cherokee Rose grows along the route of the Trail of Tears into eastern Oklahoma today.

Source: The Cherokee 1994 Heritage Calendar by Dorothy Sullivan, Memoray Circle Studio, Norman,

To join in on the project:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/trailoftears/