On the 7 Billion Ones website, side by side in a quilt of faces, are photos of Springfield’s elite, middle class – and homeless citizens.
Money doesn’t matter, status doesn’t matter, all that matters are stories. These people are part of a Randy Bacon project – a vision that celebrates the power and beauty of every single human being.
Click on a photo and you will find stories of hope, of suicide, of abuse, of eating disorders, of overcoming obstacles.
Seven Billion Ones (7B1) launched in April 2015, but had been building for years. The name is derived from the world’s population of 7 billion people.
Seven billion lives to celebrate.
“People don’t grab on to the miracle they are,” said Randy Bacon, award-winning photographer and film maker. “I witness that over and over. When I started to witness the power of an image coupled with people’s stories, I realized it grabs people in a positive way.”
The response to this project has been overwhelming: he’s received inquiries from people in Kansas City, Oklahoma, and as far away as Austria who want to get involved or duplicate it in their city.
The goal is to spread its wings internationally.
“If I leave this earth tomorrow, I want this to keep going. We need to share as many stories as possible,” Bacon said.
Larissa Ruggeberg, 22, is movement coordinator for 7B1 and part of the “Billionaires Club,” a group of advocates for the movement. The members help edit, assist on photo shoots, and share the images and mission via social media. When Ruggeberg first discovered it, she found herself “binge reading” the website.
“Sharing people’s stories is world wrecking, especially at my age because we are still trying to figure out who we are, trying to make our way,” Ruggeberg said. “It was an incredible opportunity for me to see the world in a different light. These are real people, real loss. We need people that are so wrecked and changed by what they read and see, that they want to change the world around them.”
THE ROAD I CALL HOME
Seven Billion Ones is the umbrella for another project, The Road I Call Home.
In October 2016, nearly 2,000 people showed up at Randy Bacon gallery for an exhibition that through portraits, stories and videos, celebrated homeless people. At the time it was his biggest single project and included 35 large scale portraits and 21 short films.
Today, he has produced 130 portraits for The Road I Call Home (400 for 7B1).
Randy Bacon is considered a homeless advocate but he walked down the unnerving road of self-reflection to get there.
Bacon’s gallery is located downtown at 600 W. College St. in the West Central neighborhood, and when he first moved in he began to encounter a lot of homeless people. He avoided them. They made him uncomfortable.
And then one day, he decided to delve into conversation with a homeless man.
“I decided to stop judging a book by its cover … and realized what a cool person he was,” said Bacon.
So Bacon began to photograph homeless people and share the photos on social media.
That is how he met Jennifer Cannon, founder of Gathering Friends for the Homeless, which provides meals, comfort items and friendship to Springfield’s homeless.
“I knew of Randy and his work and when one of our friends would die, we’d reach out to see if he had a photo of them. Sometimes a photo is all that’s left of their life,” Cannon said.
Eventually the idea for the project brewed. They initially set up a five year plan for The Road I Call Home, but finished it in less than a year. They feel there is no limit to how far the project can reach and want to see it in national galleries and museums.
It has been a powerful project and helped change people’s attitudes towards the homeless, said Jacque Harness, director of communications at Community Partnership of the Ozarks, which has an Affordable Housing and Homeless Prevention division.
“All these portraits bring humanity back to the forefront. These are real people, not stereotypes,” said Harness.
The success of The Road I Call Home shows the potential for 7 Billion Ones.
“If we can change hearts and attitudes, we have a better chance of helping each other,” said Cannon.
Bacon wants to venture on more international photo shoots. He’s considering hiring other photographers with a similar style to help because one man behind the camera can only take so many photographs. In fact, Bacon has become so consumed with the project his regular business has dropped 50 percent.
He doesn’t care.
“In so many respects, I am richer than I’ve ever been in my life,” Bacon said.
WHERE CAN YOU SEE IT?
The exhibit is housed in Randy Bacon Studio and Gallery, 600 W. College St. In September, it will be in the Drury University Pool Art Center Gallery, 940 N. Clay Ave. The Southwest Center for Independent Living will host an exhibit this fall, and shows are being added all the time. Learn more about 7 Billion Ones, see the portraits and read the stories at: 7billionones.org.