Report to the Shareholders

So much is uncertain and changing in America. One thing that is clear, however, is the pattern of industrialization which exploits a region and its people before moving on when economics change. The Rust Belt of America provided the manpower and factories that formed the backbone of American manufacturing, which became a juggernaut of the twentieth century. Yet when conditions shifted, companies quietly left. Despite decades of coverage of Rust Belt communities, their demise and struggles, there is a continuing need to document the region. Ken Light’s images in this book show the vestiges of the industrial past: abandoned factories, decaying infrastructure and disused machinery. The cities he visited struggle with high unemployment and massive population decline, testament to vanishing economic opportunities. Abandoned and angered by the political system, citizens feel left behind by a business class that offshored the production of goods and forsook them without a second thought. Report to the Shareholders weaves the proud heritage of blue-collar communities into this saga alongside striking historical ephemera that brings the black-and-white images of the present into high relief. The result is a poignant and persuasive visual journey through the Rust Belt, asking the question: how did we let this happen?