Colorado State University will host a traveling photo exhibit and welcome award-winning Washington, D.C.–based photojournalist Leah Millis to the Lory Student Center on Wednesday, Nov. 5.

The exhibit and lecture highlight the vital connection between photojournalism and democracy, and the power of visual storytelling to reveal truth in challenging times.  Millis has traveled the world for her work. She is known for a variety of iconic photos during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and other political and social events.

The event takes place Wednesday at 4 p.m. in the Lory Student Center Ballroom A. The program begins with the Women Photojournalists of Washington (WPOW) Traveling Photo Exhibit, featuring award-winning images by women photojournalists based in Washington, D.C. Snacks and refreshments will be available as guests explore the exhibit.

Following the exhibit, Millis will be introduced by College of Liberal Arts Dean Kjerstin Thorson and will deliver a public lecture and conversation on photojournalism’s role in civic life and democratic accountability. The program is presented as part of the CLA Democracy Initiative, which spotlights storytelling, ethics and engagement at the heart of a free society.

A Colorado native and graduate of Metropolitan State University of Denver, Millis has built a career capturing historic moments with honesty and depth. As a senior staff photographer for Reuters, she was part of the team awarded the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography for coverage of the Hong Kong protests. Her searing images of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol – including a flash-bang illuminating the Capitol steps – have become defining visual records of that day.

Millis has covered politics, protests, immigration, climate change and the rise of domestic extremism, and in 2020 she became the first woman to photograph the State of the Union address from the floor pool position in its 25-year history.

This event is free and open to CSU students, faculty, staff and the public.

Learn more about the WPOW Traveling Exhibit at womenphotojournalists.org/traveling.