A the image of woman who ran urgently toward the horrific aftermath of the Minneapolis church shooting this week has gone viral – and for good reason. The single frame captures the urgency, drama, and terror of the moment, but it also captures the dignity, strength, and unconditional love of a mother.
In the picture, the woman has removed her shoes, holding the straps of her slingbacks tightly as she runs toward Annunciation Catholic School. She can be seen only from behind as jets towards the scene of the mass shooting. Even though you can’t see her face, you can read the alarm and intensity of the moment – from the set of her shoulders to the bottom of her bare foot.
According to Today, the picture, captured by Richard Tsong-Taatarii of The Minnesota Star Tribune, has been posted and reposted as “the indelible image seems to be striking a chord with parents — especially moms — who feel both heartbroken and enraged by the news of yet another school shooting.”
The mom is every mom who can only imagine the horror of approaching a scene that holds tragedy for all, and a potentially devastating reality for her and her family. What was the last thing I said to my child? When was the last kiss? Were they scared? Could I have protected them if I’d been there?
“When I saw that photo, I felt it to my core,” Nicole Hockley, the co-founder and CEO of Sandy Hook Promise, told TODAY.com. Her son, Dylan, was killed in the Sandy Hook school shooting.
“That mother’s barefoot run captured the desperate, primal instinct every parent has to protect their child. It brought me back to my own worst nightmare and underscored the urgent truth: We must do everything in our power to stop this from happening again.”
Dr. Lauren Walsh, director of the Gallatin Photojournalism Intensive at NYU, explains why the haunting image of the running mom has captured our attention.
“We can feel her desperate energy,” Dr. Walsh notes. “The fact that we don’t see her face allows the viewer to slot themselves into her position, the terrifying position that any parent in this setting might confront: ‘That could be me. What if this happened at my child’s school?'”
Tsong-Taatarii says he took the poignant photo “as parents were still rushing to get to the school to check on the status of their kids.”
He saw her running, and noted that her shoes appeared to be slowing her down. Sensing her “desperation to get to her child,” he aimed his lens, capturing the iconic image of a mother who took her shoes off to reach her child quickly.
“I suppose her momma bear instinct kicked in,” the photographer said of the unnamed woman who has captured our imaginations.
Her name is not known, but admiration for her flight rages on as moms and dads, grandparents and siblings, aunts and uncles hugged their loved ones a little tighter this week, glad that they are able to do it and grieving for the families who are aren’t.
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