My introduction to Mel Rosenthal’s In the South Bronx of America (2001), was a powerful revelation. Until then, I was unaware of the activism that transformed my childhood neighborhood, once ravaged by redlining, divestment and a decade of arson in the 1970s, into a gritty paradise sprinkled with block parties and basketball games. Rosenthal’s ability to come back to his Bronx roots in a time of urban blight and shed light on the social injustice experienced there through image, text and a collaborative approach with community, deeply inspired me. I sought to learn more about what happened to the Bronx by photographing the once burnt-out but now thriving neighborhood of Longwood/ Hunts Point that I call home.

Today, gentrification threatens to displace the very communities across the Bronx that have fought so hard to recover. While grassroots organizations are actively resisting these forces, the fight for a just and equitable future remains ongoing. By focusing my lens on what we stand to lose, I aim to inspire the next generation to keep fighting to preserve what we have.