"We Live in the Shadow": Inner-City Kids Tell Their Stories through Photographs

209 Pages·2013·7.03 MB·English

by  Elaine Bell Kaplan

“We Live in the Shadow”
ELainE BELL K apLan
“We Live in the Shadow”
Inner-City Kids Tell Their Stories
through Photographs
Temple UniversiTy pr ess
philadelphia
TEmpLE UnivErSiTy prESS
philadelphia, pennsylvania 19122
www.temple.edu/tempress
Copyright © 2013 by Temple University
all rights reserved
published 2013
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-publication Data
Kaplan, Elaine Bell.
“We live in the shadow” : inner-city kids tell their stories
through photographs / Elaine Bell Kaplan.
pages cm
includes bibliographical references and index.
iSBn 978-1-4399-0789-4 (cloth : alk. paper) —
iSBn 978-1-4399-0790-0 (pbk. : alk. paper) —
iSBn 978-1-4399-0791-7 (e-book) 1. inner cities—
United States. 2. City children—United States—Social
conditions. 3. Urban poor—United States—Social
conditions. 4. Equality—United States.
5. photography—Social aspects—United States. i. Title.
Hn59.2.K38 2013
305—dc23
2012042289
The paper used in this publication meets the require-
ments of the american national Standard for information
Sciences—permanence of paper for printed Library materials,
anSi Z39.48-1992
printed in the United States of america
2 4 6 8 9 7 5 3 1
Photological Proof is not stringent, merely Overpowering
—Theodor W. adorno, The Culture Industry
Contents
acknowledgments ix
Part I KIds wIth Cameras
1 . “What Do you Want to Tel me about This picture?” 3
2 . The photovoice methodology 17
Part II hIstory and transformatIon
of south Central
3 . “ Don’t Be a menace to South Central while Drinking
your Juice in the Hod” 29
4 . “Send Them al to iraq” 41
Part III KIds’ sChool storIes
5 . Teachers and Dirty Bathroms 53
6 . “She’s Getin’ Her Learn On” 69
Part IV KIds’ neIghborhood storIes
7 . “i Was Just Scared” 91
8 . Garbage, aleyways, and painted Doors 111
viii | Contents
Part V KIds’ famIly storIes
9. Strain of a Heart 129
1 0. To Hope for Something 151
appendix a: participants by race/Ethnicity, Gender, and age 167
appendix B: University of Southern California neighborhood
academic initiative program Graduate Survey, 1997–2011 168
appendix C: assignments and Questionnaire 171
notes 173
index 187
acknowledgments
owe a debt of gratitude to the brilliant kids who trusted me with their
photos and stories and whose inner-city experiences challenge popular
ia ssumptions and theoretical perspectives about inner-city kids’ lives. i
give special thanks to the directors of the after-school centers who took time
out of their busy schedules to talk with me and introduced me to the kids at
the centers, especially Kim Thomas-Barrios, the director of the University
of Southern California neighborhood academic initiative (nai), who
granted me full access to the kids, their parents, and the extraordinary nai
staff, including Danielle Chavez and angela reyes. i owe a debt of gratitude
to isabel Duenes and michelle Zavella, former nai and USC graduates,
who assisted in the early stages of this project with setting up interviews,
typing transcripts, and sharing their views on the nai program. This re-
search could not have gotten off the ground as well as it did without their
support and guidance. Gloria Sohacki introduced me to directors of several
after-school progams. Her commitment to supporting the eduation and
well-being of children serves as a model for me.
i was fortunate to have the support and many contributions of Karen
Sternheimer, who had to sign off as coauthor because of her own writing com-
mitments. She co-organized a workshop based on an earlier version of this
book for the 2007 american Sociological association annual meeting in new
york City. and despite a busy schedule, she was always willing to lend me an
ear when i rambled on about the kids in early-morning hallway meetings and