Shaddia Lee: Loving the Skin You’re In
Photo and story by Rayven Jones The bubbly, youthful Shaddia Lee walked into New Hope Christian Elementary, a black Christian private school, on a Monday morning. She knew she was different, and her classmates knew it, too–she was darker than them, so they began to pick on her. One day, Lee was skipping on the […]
Arienne Jackson: An Upcoming Photographer
Photo and story by Christen Johnson When Arienne Jackson was 9 years old, her mother graduated college with her masters degree in leadership. A lot of her family members were there, including her uncle. He was there taking pictures while Jackson’s mom walked across the stage to get her degree. Shortly after her mother’s graduation, […]
Evan Denson: Growing Day By Day
Photo and story by April Sargent In the evening, Evan Denson and his mother arrived home from school, he changed out of his school clothes and got ready to do his math work. Evan was 9 around the time. His mother asked if he needed any help with his homework, but Denson confidently decided he […]
Starlette Simmons: Life Beyond Soccer
Photo and story by Mirracle Caston The soccer game was in Pearl, Miss., last season on Jan. 29. Starlette Simmons arrived as the players were getting ready to get on the field. “Wassup, everybody?” Simmons asked as Coach Dante Knight put everybody into their positions before the game started. Simmons was playing the forward position […]
Christen Johnson: The Aspiring Model
Photo and story by Arienne Jackson When Christen Johnson was 13 years old, she became interested in commercial modeling. Initially, she believed she would never be a model, but one afternoon, her mother approached her with the breathtaking news: her mom received an email giving her the opportunity to become a model. When Johnson learned […]
Jaliyah Armon: Journalist In Training
Photo and story by Janesha Bryant In 2006, at age 5, Jaliyah Armon was in a car accident with her father. She was burned on the face, and trauma to her head has caused many migraines since. “I was frightened, but as soon as I woke up, I still focused on my food that I […]
Jacoby Grover: A Passion for Photography
Photo and story by Octavia Mannie One day in 2017, Jacoby Grover was doing his usual job, pushing the carts to the front entrance of Kroger’s Grocery Store. However, on this particular day it was raining heavily, but nonetheless Grover’s boss still insisted he gather the carts. Wearing a raincoat, he went outside to get […]
Jacorey Mitchell: Building on his ‘Real Talent’
Photo and story by Cymone West On a typical day in 2017 at Blackburn Middle School, one could find rowdy classrooms with distracted students playing games, singing songs and doing anything but their work. Among the scholars was a then-14-year-old boy, Jacorey Mitchell. In his collared white shirt, khaki shorts and white Air Force Ones, […]
Dyahda Nolan: Take It and Keep Fighting
Photo and story by Inajas Perry It all started when Dyahda Nolan’s mother, Shirley, met her boyfriend, Johnny. On Sept. 4, 2004, Nolan, who was 4 years old at the time, was found by her stepsister, Asia, balled up in the corner with big bruises and marks on her body. Due to her mother’s abuse, […]
Janesha Bryant: An Ambitious Young Mother
Photo and story by Jaliyah Armon One night, Janesha Bryant was settling down in her bedroom. She had recently received a new TV and excitedly picked it up. Suddenly, on the left side of her ribs, she felt as if her muscle pulled. Bryant’s parents rushed her to the emergency room. Later, when getting […]
