Tony Maine: Seeing the Southend Postcards

Born and raised in Dearborn's working-class South-end neighborhood, Tony Maine photographed the people and places around him.  Dearborn's growing Arab American community faced a number of challenged in the 1970s and 1980s when much of this work was created, government and industry interests threatened livelihoods and homes alike. 

Maine's work is both a time machine and a mirror. It invites us into the rich interior lives of Yemeni and Lebanese Americans at a time when the country was still getting to know who Arab Americans really were. From children in English class to auto workers on the line, each photo offers a slice from the daily life of ordinary people. Maine's lens reacquaints us with a community at the forefront of collective action, echoes of which can still be seen today. 

Postcards are 4x6 and feature select prints from the Seeing the Southend exhibition at the Arab American National Museum.