He uses a variety of media, including documentary film, photographic exhibits, and books, to capture and depict the issues he explores in these projects (see his website at: ricardoainslie.com).
The film has been screened to a broad range of audiences across the country (including the National Science Foundation's Chautauqua Course in 2003, the American Psychological Association's National Multicultural conference in 2005, conferences at historically African American universities and community Black History Month events –over 22 screenings in all).
Following the 1998 racially motivated dragging death of James Byrd, a black man killed by three white supremacists in Jasper, Texas, Ricardo Ainslie explored the impact of the murder on that community in several scholarly journal articles.
He also created, wrote, and produced Jasper, Texas: The Healing of a Community in Crisis, a traveling photographic exhibit (New York City, Austin, Dallas, Houston, Fort Worth, San Antonio, Galveston) for which he enlisted the collaboration of photographer Sarah Wilson (the exhibit book won the Digital News Award for Best Project -photography, text, design- in 2003).
In 2006, Ricardo Ainslie completed a documentary film, Looking North: Mexican Images of Immigration (TRT 30 minutes, funded by Humanities Texas and the Trull Foundation).
For this film he interviewed people in Mexico from all walks of life in order to convey how Mexicans experience the phenomenon of migration and its impact on their country.
In this film he used interviews with leading neuro-scientists from around the world to explore the neuroscience behind our understanding of how our brains create the experience of reflection and subjectivity.
He spent nearly two years traveling to Juárez, interviewing journalists, human rights activists, family members of victims of violence, politicians, law enforcement, community leaders, and educators.