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On July 14th, 2023, a strike protest from the UPS facility began at 6 a.m. On the cold morning, multiple locations were striking at the same time. When I arrived at the site, only the drivers from the last day's shift were coming into the parking lot. With the smell of fresh coffee, workers, organizers, union representatives, and a small group of cameramen gathered around for the protest. Full-time, Part-time, young and old, white, black, Asian, and brown folks all chanted for one thing - ensure the minimum wage and stop union-busting.

On the 100th day of the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, I went to the protest sites expecting photographers to swamp the streets. But the photojournalists didn't know the striking actors and writers' names, and the protesters both hated and welcomed the flashlights from the cameras. They were fighting for some more existential; the entire replacement of humanity in the supposedly human stories and images. Thankfully, the actors and writers in New York City had years of experience fighting for their working rights and fair wages, hence the organizing was prepared and militaristic. They were not only workers but also artists who struggled and yet could envision a brighter future. 

With many strikes happening, I kept appearing at the SAG-AFTRA and WGA protest sites. The media companies were not only scanning the actors but also they were storing the biometric data and using them without the actors' permission. I heard these stories from actors who have been working on Broadway for many years and appeared on the screen as the background and supporting actors. I also heard major role actors who understood that corporate greed will trickle up to all the other actors. This journey led me into a courtroom where SAG organizers demanded a fair portrayal of their actors and regulation on the use of AI and scanned images of actors.

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