Update on: “I can live in peace”
In the summer of 2018 I met Maria, an immigrant from Mexico, who was living in Florida and raising 3 kids. Since then I visited in December of 2019. Their lives have changed since our first encounter, but her hardships remain the same. Spending a week with them reminded me why I wanted to be a photo journalist and why it’s important to keep documenting people’s lives. I hope that once Maria becomes a legal U.S. citizen that this piece will be finished and then published with their real names in the story. In the mean time I hope to continue updating their story.
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"My mom didn't want to raise me because I was a black sheep” shares Maria. At 13-years old she decided to leave Mexico City in fear of being sex trafficked.
After crossing the U.S. boarder illegally, Maria and her friend who journeyed together stayed with family in Florida. Through the years Maria has worked as a caterer, construction worker and a commercial cleaner. In times where she was desperate for money, she would go out to the nightclubs, flirt with men and eventually go home with them and sell her body. Through this form of work, Maria met several men, 3 of whom became the fathers of her three children: Diego, 14, Camila, 11, and Nina, 9. Nina’s father has caused the most destruction to the children and Maria. After meeting Nina’s father, Maria became a victim of domestic violence.
"When I was younger with babies I was afraid, [but now] I can live in peace" states Maria in regards to the current situation she and her children live in.
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Photo Column for JOUR 437: Longform Story Telling with Martin Smith-Roden
My decision for choosing to turn this series black and white is to unify the images.
Description: As people age, some things remain the same yet others change. This photo essay illustrates changes seen as people pass through the years of their lives.
Water leaves the face of Evelyn Albaugh, 13, as she breathes her first breath as a new christian at First Christian Church in Champaign, IL, Sunday, March 1, 2020. Lead Pastor Danny Schaffner Jr. baptized her in the middle of the auditorium of the church in a trough filled with water. Albaugh decided to get baptized after “waiting for a special moment to happen.”
Today, baptism is symbolic in Christian faith as it is an outward confession of an inner change. As people transform into christians they are asked to make this declaration when they feel it is time to do so. In a church with three services every Sunday, dozens of parishioners are baptized in a trough that is spotlighted in the middle of the sanctuary. On stage a church band plays and projector screens show live footage of people being dipped in water. As new christians ascend from the water, they hear clapping and cheering from fellow church members. Wet hugs and kisses are exchanged with family members and loved ones.
10 single candles are lit to illuminate the birthday cake of 13 year-old William Slezak, Friday, March 6, 2020 at the family home in Mahomet, IL.
Every year as an individual grows older, around the world, birthdays are celebrated in different ways. In the United States some do it with cake, others with presents, regardless usually birthdays are celebrated with the friends and family that matter most to us. Turning another year older doesn't just represent another year we've been on this earth, it represents the journey wkke are on. It celebrates the journey behind and gives hope for the journey ahead. A birthday means a person has made another revolution around the sun and made it through several seasons just like the seasons seen in nature. The summer, fall, winter and spring in nature reflect the changes seen in life.
In the family kitchen, Paul and Karen Slezak scroll through social media on their phones, Monday, March 2, 2020 in Mahomet, IL.
As technology changes so does society. An increase in adults and children on their phone has resulted in less time with those around us and an increase with those away from us. The feelings once shared by people might change for better or worse. We grow distant from those near while being consistently consumed by the things pushed out in the world around us. Grand gestures aren't made and old common societal practices are seen as romantic now. Technology is a way to communicate with others, but also is a way to grow apart from others.
The 15 year-old family dog, Jade, now grey and deaf is held by the youngest member of the Crull family, Lexi, 8, Wednesday, March, 4, 2020 at their home in Mahomet, IL.
As people enter the Crull Family house they are greeted with the friendly smile and wagging tail. As many families across America have a man's best friend, this house is no different.Near the end of her life, Jade has had a long life giving happiness to even their oldest child, now 24 years-old. At night many people have their furry friend sleep next to them as a companion. Their dog or cat is there for them when they get home. Pets make people fee less alone and give people a sense of responsibility. Just like humans, animals have a lifecycle too, reminding us how we are truly one with nature.
A car leaves behind the town of Mahomet, IL, lurching forward past former cornfields, the sunsets in the car mirror, Saturday, March 7, 2020.
Surrounded by cornfields in a small Mid-west town with a population of 8,500, kids graduate with the same 250 kids they’ve known form 12 years. It’s a community where members come together in mourning as death reaps the lives of teenagers. It's a town where parents and grandparents went to high school and decided to come back to when it was time to raise a family. The road ahead is unknown, while the town behind is known. People leave the comfort of their homes, of what is safe, to find new opportunities and have new experiences. The future is ahead.
In January I got hired as a student photographer to work for the Marketing and Communications team at Ball State University. It was great to be able to work alongside the full-time University Photographers Bobby Ellis, Samantha Strahan and Don Roggers. It was the opportunity to have some coaching, shoot daily assignments and a lot of sports. I really enjoyed my time on the team and am sad to have left to return home for the remainder of the semester due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Here are some of my favorite Sports images:
Ball State gymnast, Arden Hudson, does a routine on the uneven parallel bars, Sunday, January 26, 2020 at Worthen Arena in Muncie, Ind. Hudson placed fourth in the event.
Ball State freshman Sydney Freeman grabs the ball after Junior Oslynn Brown loses possession Thursday, January 16, 2020 at Worthen Arena in Muncie, Ind.
Ball State University freshman Perrish SImmons screams after winning a point against J. Alvarez from Wright State University during a singles match, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020 at the Northwest YMCA in Muncie, Ind.
Freshman Charity Griffith competes in the long jump event against a fellow Ball State University athlete, Michelle Lehmann, Friday, Feb. 21, 2020, at a home track meet in Muncie Ind. Griffith won first with her jump of 5.22 m.
In addition to shooting sports, there were some other assignments to cover events around campus. One of my favorites was Latinxpalooza. This event was hosted by the Latinx Student Union.
Veronica Morales and Joanna Hernandez in their dressing room before performing at Latinxpalooza, Friday, Jan. 24, 2020 in the student center at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind.
