Shivratri

The communities in Jersey City are beautifully diverse. This assignment sent me to Little India for just a quick stand alone picture. But with the incredible color of the story, I had to try and explore it a bit deeper. This is the Govinda Sanskar Center where many of the Hindus in Jersey City worship, a place that recently celebrated Shivratri. The experience was like walking into any crowded street and temple in India, and left me hoping to save a bit of money for a ticket out to some place still foreign.

Shivratri

Comic Con

I was lucky enough to convince one of my lovely editors to let me spend a few hours over in Manhattan and attend the 2009 Comic Con; a comic book convention with over 75,000 people. Pushing through the throngs of people, and knowing I had a limited amount of time to come back with a project, I focused on the alter egos. Many fans dressed the part and lived out the role with incredible dedication to the character. However with most of the fans walking through the convention as if they were strolling through any other part of the city, dressed in normal clothes and pushing strollers, "It just never got weird enough for me."

2009 Comic Con

A gallery from the bottom to the top

From Career Academy Art

"Not a lot of people root for these kids," Ms. Maria Rubio tells me amongst a crowd of her students. "So this is a big deal for them. They can see that they can succeed for themselves."

A gallery opening at City Hall celebrated Black History Month by showcasing the works of primarily African American and Latino students from Career Academy in Jersey City. The high school focuses on students that have problems in traditional educational systems, focusing on education plans with career preparation and contextual academics. The school tries to help refocus those students that face multiple challenges from harsh environments. Ms. Rubio tells me how she has witnessed the rough paths these kids face each day, many regularly facing drugs and violence and poverty. She tells me how some of her 18 to 16-year-old students are already parents.

One black and white picture hanging in the gallery is a blown up ultrasound of the student's girlfriend's womb, his soon to be son looking down from a wall. It is a beautiful reflection of life and transience. Most all the student's works are inward reflections, snapshots of their passing life. These self-portraits tell the stories of their lives, curious of their world and circumstance. Some pictures hint at outrage and suggest discontent.

"Yeah, I want to go to college. I want to get into music, I want to get into graphic arts and photography. I like all this," Bilial Steed says, pointing up at the high ceilings of City Hall. "But I'm just working on surviving right now."