Author: jchang220

Lisa Wade | Queens  Portrait by Victoria Hofmo  She is intelligent and wise and has a serious side in the sense of getting things accomplished, but also a really good sense of humor. She has such a rich, layered life. She’s trying new things. She volunteers a lot. She’s very much into historic preservation and…… Continue reading Lisa Wade and Victoria Hofmo

Duane Joseph | Brooklyn  Portrait by Annie Zhou In loving memory ofDuane Joseph September 19, 1978 – August 7, 2023 Duane is extremely humble. Don’t take it at face value when he says he just does a little bit in the community because he does a lot in the community. He’s worked and volunteered at all…… Continue reading Annie Zhou and Duane Joseph

Sherri Clarke-Joseph | The Bronx Portrait by Lynne Connor We had a really good conversation and we have a lot in common, which was kind of nice and surprising. We both were raised by single parents, mothers, no father. My mom died from breast cancer and Sherri is a breast cancer survivor. When we did…… Continue reading Lynne Connor and Sherri Clark-Joseph

Derek Yamato 朱錫輝 |Brooklyn  Portrait by Mafalda Cento  Derek is really a very wonderful person with a big heart. He loves to cook. When I asked him, “what would you like to do?,” he said ‘chef’. So I said to him, “if a very wealthy person would come to you and offer you a restaurant…… Continue reading Derek Yamato, Mafalda Cento and Noreen Ahsan Dou

Gen Yama | Queens Portrait by Laith Alnatour I wanted to get a little bit deeper into his culture so I asked him to show me a couple of moves that he does with Buddhist prayer. I learned that our situations are very close together. I’m Palestinian and he’s from Tibet. So we’re both kind…… Continue reading Gen Yama and Laith Alnatour

Victoria Leal | The Bronx   Portrait by Sharon Shimonova Victoria is powerful and captivating and colorful and creative. She talks a lot about the immigration process, her travel with her children to New York and the way that she decided to persevere and stand up against the domestic violence that she was enduring. She’s a…… Continue reading Sharon Shimonova and Victoria Leal

Saúl Vidals Iturbide | Staten Island Portrait by Barbara Kulpa  My partner is a Mexican dancer so I wanted to show his stance, his seriousness, and his pride in his culture. He very much wants to teach it to the next generation. He gave a great analogy that younger children are like trees growing, who…… Continue reading Barbara Kulpa and Saúl Vidals Iturbide