A Wider Family: Images on Volunteerism contains images very close to my heart because they were captured in partnership with organizations I care deeply about doing good & hard work in our world. Our new normal due to the global pandemic has meant the Community House that is hosting the gallery has shut down for […]
April 15, 2020
As Ms. Marion called the after school meeting to order the young women began by grabbing an affirmation from the jar and then reading them outloud, “I don’t give up.” And the group answered, “Ashay.” “I stand strong.” And the group answered, “Ashay.” “I’m a boss.” And the group answered, “Ashay.” “I love myself.” And the […]
March 16, 2020
The students gathered outside of an Econo Supermarket just outside of San Juan on a Saturday morning with pencils in hand ready to work in teams to plan a meal within their designated budget. Mr. Erick Rios is the kind of teacher that draws his students in, as the students arrive they high five and hug him and […]
March 9, 2020
Winter can be beautiful when we embrace it and Sam & Brittany did just that during our session. Sam & Brittany met through a mutual friend while they were both interning in Chicago and after 6 months Sam asked Brittany to hang out at a Blackhawks game. They wanted to capture them “in their natural […]
February 22, 2020
This October I attended the first ever Joy & Justice Conference at the historical Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago. The year was chosen to reflect on 400 years of the Black experience in America. The location was carefully selected too not for it’s design but for it’s history and legacy. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahalia Jackson […]
February 19, 2020
“A makerspace is a place where students can gather to create, invent, tinker, explore and discover using a variety of tools,” Mrs. Johnson shared the vision of the Makerspace at J.T. Manning Elementary School surrounded by a green screen, bins of blocks, large wooden tools, and Ipads that are all part of the space. She […]
February 15, 2020
“What does it really mean to be kind anyway?” This question was part of a read aloud from the book Be Kind by Pat Zietlow Miller during Creating a Compassionate Community Day (C3 Day) at J.T. Manning Elementary School February 5,2020. In the book when a classmate; Tanisha, felt embarrassed the author’s voice asks us this […]
February 12, 2020
Friends came together to celebrate the ribbon cutting and grand opening of Ibtisam’s Tailor Shop in Lombard. As many small business openings there is a long story of the dreams, passion, and hard work that have lead up to and will; God willing, continue to sustain this business. Ibtisam Younis came to the U.S. in […]
January 12, 2020
