Dorecia: I found out that I was pregnant when I was 17 years old. I was scared, I didn’t know what to do, and I hid the pregnancy for as long as I could. Photos by Megan Monday No one knew for six or seven months. I was always a good student, I even skipped a …
When I was young, my brother was my hero. I was the youngest of eight kids. My brother wasn’t the closest in age to me, but he did a lot of the things that I wanted to do. He was great at skateboarding, great at drumming. He had dirt bikes, which I thought was awesome. …
As a teenager, I knew every cop on the north side precinct on a first-name basis. It was hard for me in the holding tank, but I got it even harder when I got home. I certainly had a problem with authority. I didn’t follow direction. As my grandfather put it, ‘That boy’s got smarts, but …
“In the Army I learned respect. I learned integrity.” Read More »
Josif: My dad was basically a serial entrepreneur. He was a barber, but also a baker, a restaurateur…my parents were German immigrants and they got to be very well-known German restaurateurs. Photos by Megan Monday We moved every three years because he flipped houses. It’s crazy; he did a lot of things. But I grew up …
“She came to me with the story of her illness and asked for help…” Read More »
I’ve got a cognitive disability and I went to special ed all my life, through high school and graduated. But sometimes people don’t understand where I’m coming from. Photos by Megan Monday “They don’t know how to read me, or they’re afraid to talk to me and they try to speak for me. That’s not …
“There’s a saying: ‘See our abilities, not our disabilities.’” Read More »
I’ve been in recovery a little over 14 years. I reflect back to when I was a youth and I remember there were inspirational people in my life that just dropped little seeds. When I got into recovery, those seeds started to grow. Photos by Megan Monday “Now I work with youth and people looking …
“If you want to change the world, start in your own backyard.” Read More »
