The Red Hair Project: Uncovering America’s Golden Thread

So this was not only a border crossing. It quickly became a political issue too.

Yes, and it happened fast. Thousands swam into the Spanish enclave on 30 July. Later, soldiers and police escorted many back to the border.

And the human cost was already severe, even before the political argument began.

It was. At least 67 people died, and their bodies were found in the sea. Journalists also described abandoned rubber rings and flippers floating nearby.

That makes the scene very clear, and very hard to ignore.

Exactly. It showed how dangerous these crossings can be, even if people hope for a better chance in Europe.

What is still unclear is why so many people came at the same time.

That is one of the main questions. Some people think social media posts promising an easy path to Europe spread quickly. Others wonder whether the movement was more deliberate and organised.

So there is still no single clear answer, only different ideas.

Right. And that uncertainty is part of the political tension. Different parties are using the crisis to support their own arguments about migration.

Spain’s prime minister has also spoken sharply about the reaction from other parts of Europe.

He has. Pedro Sanchez has hit out at some people in the EU for attacking Spain instead of supporting it. He says they are playing politics during a crisis.

And that tells us something bigger about Europe, doesn’t it?

It does. Migration is not only about border control. It can also expose deep differences between countries and between political parties.

So the crossing ended, but the argument around migration is still very much alive.

Yes. The people have mostly moved back, but the political storm is still moving through Europe.

A red hair photo project finds a surprising link in America

Now we go to Sophie, our LinguaWire correspondent for culture.

The photographer Kieran Dodds says his long project about red hair has opened up a surprising American chapter.

So this began as a personal photo idea, but it has grown into something much wider.

Yes. Kieran, who is from Edinburgh and calls himself a proud ginger, started taking pictures in Scotland back in 2013. At first, he was looking at Scottish identity.

And then he followed the same idea to other places.

He did. He went to places with lots of red-haired people, like the Russian city of Perm and Treasure Beach in Jamaica. His 2020 book Gingers showed people from around the world.

But then he noticed a gap in the project.

A big one. After the book came out, he realised he did not have any American citizens in the series. Then, as he put it, “all these people got in touch.”

That sounds like the project found him back.

Exactly. He said, “I was like, oh wow, of course, the whole world is in the States.” He called it a microcosm, a small version of something much bigger.

So the United States became a kind of snapshot of the wider world.

Yes, and one message really caught his attention. A Native American man with red hair wrote to him, and Kieran said that instantly made him curious.

What does this story show beyond the portraits themselves?

It shows how a simple photo project can turn into a search for identity, family, and belonging. Hair colour seems like a small detail, but it can connect people across very different backgrounds.

And in the end, the project is not only about red hair. It is about the people behind it.

That is right. The portraits are the start, but the real story is the connection between them.

First, three words from Story 1.

the enclave, an enclave is a small area in one country, but surrounded by another; in the story, Ceuta was a Spanish enclave; example: The town is an enclave inside another country.

the border, a border is the line between two countries; in the story, migrants were escorted back to the border; example: They waited near the border for hours.

the crisis, a crisis is a serious problem that needs quick action; in the story, Spain’s migration crisis caused political trouble; example: The company faced a crisis after the power cut.

Now the grammar point.

has hit out at

We use “has hit out at” when someone strongly criticises a person or group.

Pedro Sanchez has hit out at some people in the EU.

The mayor has hit out at the new plans.

Repeat after me: has hit out at