Polly Irungu is a Kenyan-American photographer and journalist. She founded ''Black Women Photographers'', a global network aimed at promoting and assisting Black women photographers. She was the official photo editor for the office of US vice president

Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. She is the first female, first African American, and ...

. Currently, Polly serves as a Junior Photographer attached to Governor Wes Moore's Office for the

State of Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

Early life and education

Irungu was born in

Nairobi, Kenya Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a reference to the Nairobi Riv ...

. She moved to the United States at the age of 4, and was raised in both Kansas and Oregon. Irungu worked at

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...

in high school, and saved her earnings to buy her first camera. She practiced portrait photography using her brother as her model, and visited sporting events to better learn how to properly photograph fast subjects. Irungu earned her Bachelor of Arts in journalism from the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

in 2017.

Career

In 2018, Irungu moved to New York City and took a job as a digital content editor at

New York Public Radio New York Public Radio (NYPR) is a New York City-based independent, publicly supported, Nonprofit organization, not-for-profit media organization incorporated in 1979. Its stated mission is "To make the mind more curious, the heart more open and t ...

. While working at WNYC, she continued to pursue

freelance ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...

photography, selling shots of New York City to clients such as

Refinery29 Refinery29 (R29) is an American multinational digital media and entertainment website focused on young women. It is owned by Sundial Media Group. History Justin Stefano, Philippe von Borries, Piera Gelardi, and Christene Barberich co-founded Ref ...

and

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

. Some of her work was featured in a Nasdaq campaign dubbed, ''Amplifying Black Voices,'' documenting Black Lives, in 2020. The pieces were displayed at the Nasdaq MarketSite tower in

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and Neighborhoods in New York City, neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway (Manhattan), ...

. In response to the 2020

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, Irungu started ''Black Women Photographers'', a "global community and database of Black women and nonbinary photographers". The group currently has more than 1,200 members spanning 50 countries. ''Black Women Photographers'' is credited with helping members get jobs with

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

and

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

, and also provides classes and grant opportunities. In 2022, Irungu became the "first official photo editor" for Vice President Kamala Harris, who tasked Irungu with documenting her "campaign's story". She also worked as an editor and video producer in the White House Office of Digital Strategy. She presently serves in Maryland Governor

Wes Moore Westley Watende Omari Moore (born October 15, 1978) is an American politician, businessman, author, and former U.S. Army officer serving as the 63rd governor of Maryland since 2023. Moore was born in Maryland and raised primarily in New York. ...

's Office as a Junior Photographer. She works alongside the Chief Photographer and Senior Staff Photographer in the Governor's office. She's tasked with capturing the Governor, Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller, and First Lady Dawn Moore, amongst other roles.

Awards and honors

In 2024, Irungu received the Eric Allen Outstanding Young Alumni Award from the

University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Irungu, Polly Living people 21st-century American women photographers 21st-century American photographers 21st-century women journalists Biden administration personnel People from Nairobi Photographers from New York City University of Oregon alumni Year of birth missing (living people)