The All America City award is given annually to communities that show merit, growth, togetherness and pride. American commonality— in all its glory, irony and splendor. Buffalo and the Western New York region, my birthplace and true home, have earned this title twice in the past 20 years. The award isn’t as much an affirmation as it is a reminder of values. A reinforcement of memory— of home. Buffalo lies elsewhere, not as a destination but as a frame of mind. Beyond any place.

Joseph Charles Tripi was born in Buffalo, New York and raised in a suburb of the major metropolitan area. At the age of 18, he moved to New York City to study photography at the School of Visual Arts, and currently works as a retoucher in Manhattan. Joe resides and prospers in Brooklyn, for the time being, while focusing on personal projects and weekend excursions.

At Guernica, we’ve spent the last 15 years producing uncompromising journalism.

More than 80% of our finances come from readers like you. And we’re constantly working to produce a magazine that deserves you—a magazine that is a platform for ideas fostering justice, equality, and civic action.

If you value Guernica’s role in this era of obfuscation, please donate.

Help us stay in the fight by giving here.