When the Spirit Moves

This project documents the many issues that plague the inner-city community of Chester, PA. More specifically, it explores the dichotomy present in the region: the interrelated nature of both scarcity and the resulting development of strength required in overcoming such a crises. Those living in Chester, grow up in an environment of hardship. It is a place where pollution alters cognitive development, violence is commonplace, poverty is oppressive, and jobs are virtually non-existent.

“It is early morning - 3 a.m. Chester is under a state of emergency; four murders in eight days. Curfew is in effect. I’m in a car waiting with friends: Chinese food after a night partying. A chorus of sirens is heard. A dozen cruisers rush the scene. Everyone scatters like birds before a storm, but no one escapes its wrath. A line of young men with arms and legs out stretched; cuffed, questioned. One man resists and is slammed violently against a car. It’s the killing season. Police are cracking down.”
Chester, PA is located along the Delaware River and has a rich history dating back to the mid-1600s. Then in the mid 1960’s the city experienced an industrial collapse and subsequent economic meltdown. Poverty and crime rose as the city declined. Many residing in Chester (pop 37,000) now live in an environment of hardship. There has not been one grocery store present in the last ten years. The city's public schools rank last among the state's districts. The murder rate is one of the highest per capita in the United States. The chance of becoming a victim of a violent crime in Pennsylvania is 1 in 273; in Chester it’s 1 in 37.
Chester is a place where a domino effect of socio-economic issues and a long history of government corruption, have revealed the community to be a microcosm of the wounds of racism that stain this country today. As my vision of the community grew, so did the parameters of my project.
I've witnessed tremendous tragedy here and my spirit has broken many times. In the same degree, I have witnessed equal moments of strength and beauty.
A young Chester High basketball star, 17, was paralyzed from the neck down after being shot in the neck by a bullet meant for his friend. One afternoon, I told him to keep his spirit alive. His response was, “Give me something more difficult. I got that figured out.”
A young woman who lost her aunt to a stray bullet paints beautifully sculpted sunflowers on a glass vase.
“When did you start painting?”
“I just figured it out the other day!”
A woman lost her boyfriend young, a high-school football star. Now she fills the pages of her journal with ideas and feelings that have been pervasive in her life so they can be discharged. She has ten chapters on ten pages, each double sided. Eventually, she will publish a book.
With this work, I want people to understand the true complexities of living in a community like Chester. How everything is interlocked: a patchwork of trauma and courage. A woven legacy deeply rooted in the foundation of American society.

The moments of light and progress are not forgotten under the overwhelming weight of violence and oppression. In fact they weigh heavier on the pendulum of life and death. The scales will tip ultimately in favor of dawn. It’s only a matter of focusing our attention towards the morning sun.