Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Kinney-Porter.
Hi Laura, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve always had a love for genealogy and old family photographs. I think it came from wishing I had the chance to know the relatives who passed before I was born. Hearing their stories and seeing their faces in photos made them feel real to me.
I’ve also always loved photography itself. I’m fascinated by the way older generations captured their lives. Many of our elders were photographers without even realizing it. Cameras weren’t easy to use back then — they had to understand lighting, framing, and how their equipment worked. I look at my family’s old photos not just as memories, but as beautiful pieces of art.
My grandmother, Mattie Bell Kinney, has always been the one I felt most drawn to. I’ve spent years trying to learn everything I can about her, especially finding as many photos of her as possible.
I’ve been researching my family history for over a decade, and along the way, I started sharing photos and stories on my personal Instagram. It became a way to honor my ancestors and document the history that shaped me. At one point, my aunt referred to me as “the keeper,” and since I research both sides of my family, I came up with the name Keeper of All Sides and launched the account in 2022.
What started as a personal project has grown into something larger. Over time, I’ve focused more deeply on telling Mattie’s story, which led to the creation of a legacy project dedicated to preserving and sharing her impact.
The Mattie Legacy Project is centered on honoring the life of my grandmother, Mattie Bell Kinney, who was a civil rights advocate and cancer awareness leader in Cincinnati during the 1960s and 70s. Through research, archival materials, storytelling, and a developing exhibition, the project aims to bring visibility to her work and create space for others to learn from her life. It’s a personal mission rooted in family, but also in a commitment to recognizing the stories of Black women who helped shape their communities.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Researching family history definitely comes with challenges. Some relatives I grew up hearing about, but others I knew almost nothing about. It can be difficult to trace people when records are missing or when stories were lost over time. I’ve spent a lot of time trying to confirm details, fill in gaps, and make sense of what was passed down.
One of the more frustrating situations I’ve run into while working on the Mattie Legacy Project has been knowing that many of my grandmother’s personal papers, awards, and records of her work weren’t saved. She gave so much of herself to advocacy and community leadership, and not having those materials makes it more challenging to piece together the full picture. Because of this, my goal is to honor her legacy and create avenues for education and discussion. I want others to be able to see her impact and feel connected to the broader history her life represents.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My work centers on legacy preservation through storytelling, research, and visual documentation. Through Keeper of All Sides, I share family history through old photographs, personal reflections, and historical context. I focus on both sides of my family and use what I find to explore themes like identity, memory, and generational resilience.
One day I’m posting about my maternal Native American family, who lived in the mountains of North Carolina, and the next, I’m sharing a photo of my paternal grandfather, who helped desegregate the U.S. Marines as a Montford Point Marine during World War II. The stories I choose to share stretch across time, geography, and culture, but they all hold meaning and deserve to be remembered.
I specialize in bringing overlooked or forgotten family stories to the surface, often starting with a single image from my archives or a newspaper clipping and building from there. I’m most proud of how this work has created a space where personal history feels meaningful, both for me and for others who see parts of their own families in what I share.
What sets my work apart is that it’s both personal and purposeful. It’s not about creating polished content or filling in a family tree. It’s about honoring the people who came before me and creating space for their stories to be seen and understood.
I’ve always had a deep appreciation for photography, and that shapes how I approach my work. I find old family photos to be more than just keepsakes — they’re works of art. The people who took them may not have called themselves photographers, but they understood light, composition, and timing in a way that still amazes me. There’s so much care in those images, and I try to carry that same care into how I share and preserve them.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I don’t always see myself as a risk-taker in the usual sense, but I think there’s a certain kind of risk in putting something deeply personal out into the world. Sharing family stories, especially those that haven’t been talked about publicly, takes a lot of care. There’s always the question of whether I’m telling it the right way or if I’m exposing something that wasn’t meant to be shared. But I also believe that silence can erase people, and I’m not willing to let that happen.
One of the biggest risks I’ve taken is committing to this work and choosing to make it visible. I didn’t have a blueprint. I didn’t go into this with a platform or funding or even a clear plan. I just knew the stories mattered, and I had to start somewhere.
For me, risk isn’t about being fearless, because my anxiety and impostor syndrome definitely creep up at times. It’s about moving forward even when you’re not sure how it will all come together. And trusting that telling the truth, carefully and respectfully, is always worth it.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keeperofallsides/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mattielegacyproject
