If you walked down the main boulevard in Albania’s capital city of Tirana on any evening this summer, you would witness history being made in real time. Crowds were taking to the streets en masse, equipped with bright pink placards of flamingos, as the Gen Z-led uprising dubbed the ‘Flamingo Revolution’ continued to evolve over the months.

Since late May, Albanians have been protesting following the approval of a €1.4 billion luxury resort development project on Sazan Island and the protected shores of Vjosa-Narta, advanced by Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. However, despite American media outlets focusing solely on the Trump connection, this revolution is not just about a luxury resort. It is a larger movement against Prime Minister Edi Rama, his pro-corporate interests, over 35 years of government corruption, and the system as a whole.

The citizens are making four official demands: government resignation, the formation of a new technical government, the abolition of abusive laws and the Zvërnec project, and free and fair elections.

Over the summer months, I spent many weeks bearing witness to the Flamingo Revolution. I listened to protesters make speech after speech, night after night, with so much passion and anger in their voices that it transcended the language barrier between us. I sat on my friend’s balcony listening to stories of hardships they faced from their childhoods, and the hardships they face now. Every night, I walked down the boulevard towards Skanderbeg Square surrounded by chants of ‘Rama Jepe Doreheqjen’ (Rama, resign) and ‘Ju Erdhi Fundi’ (your time is up).

I arrived in Albania with the goal of learning about this collapsing system and to document what is now the largest pro-democracy revolution since the fall of communism, but a different angle of the uprising stuck with me.

While international media outlets focus on the Trump name, the real story emerging from Albania is about the Albanian people that continue to focus on the possibility of a future with greater opportunities in the country, without succumbing to nihilism through collective action alongside their neighbors.

While witnessing this movement, I have been moved by individuals like Agron, who has waved his flag every night for 90 nights. I have been moved by the organizers who form circles to protect children drawing flamingos on the pavement while their parents listen to speeches amongst the demonstrators. I have been moved by those protesters who deliver those speeches night after night, with that incredible passion and anger. Despite any political differences, status, or views, the people have continued to work together, organizing every single day.

This movement is not limited to the Albanian population at home, the mobilization extends throughout the diaspora worldwide. Almost 1.3 million Albanians live abroad, representing about 44% of Albania’s population living in the country. When the greatest contributing factor to immigration is economical challenges and opportunity instead of circumstances of war and safety concerns, the Flamingo Revolution movement further motivates the diaspora to advocate for their home and families, whether that be from outside of the country, or by traveling back home.

'That is the thing, you can never switch fully. Albanians that go abroad always cling to their roots and miss home.’ Emian, an Albanian friend that has been protesting every single night says, ‘like, Albanian people in the United States go crazy to feel Albania again, because that is what they are attached to.’ While walking down the street one night, he explained to me that this revolution feels like their last chance to fight for a country where there are opportunities for the younger Albanians, that don’t include leaving and building that success elsewhere.

The longer I stayed in Tirana, the more that I felt that around me.

For the last months, I have worked to convey this powerful feeling of Albanian’s dedication and optimism through my camera in this photo essay. Their resilience is incredible. We have a lot to learn from the Albanian population at home in the United States.