SAN ANTONIO — If you’ve attended the largest Martin Luther King march in the country right here in San Antonio, you’ve seen his work.
“It’s my job, I want to capture the event,” San Antonio photographer Allee Wallace said.
Wallace is the man behind the camera. He’s been there since the march first started more than 30 years ago, and he’s done it free of charge.
“Because of the people. You don’t realize people come from everywhere. All over the world they’re coming just to march in this march,” Wallace said.
Due to the current pandemic this will be the first year he’s put his camera down. This year’s MLK march went virtual.
“The condition we are in now, the virus is here. Me and my wife both had the virus. She died,” Wallace said.
It's a tragedy with some light at the end of the tunnel. Mr. Wallace can’t take new pictures to add to his collection, but he just found out he’s getting his own wall space inside of the San Antonio International Airport during the month of February for thousands to see the MLK marches of the past.
“It’s awesome. It’s awesome to be wanted, and to be able to deliver and to be able to satisfy other people,” Wallace said.
For someone who’s invested so much of his own money doing for others, this good new brings enough joy and fulfillment to last until the next march.
“My mother said, 'Boy, you’re going to be our family photographer' and it was just for the family, but the world is my family now. San Antonio is my family now, and as long as I can go and do this, I will,” Wallace said.