My work is about connecting the present to the past by documenting places that would seem ordinary, but have played an important role in history. Both African American and white children were affected by the Prince Edward County School Board’s decision to close down its schools in 1959. These children were forced to spend the next five years learning in “Training Schools” and makeshift classrooms in the basements of churches, recreational centers and in some cases their own homes. While some of the students claim they were unaffected by this deficiency in their education others wonder in what direction their lives could have gone had they received a proper education. By photographing these locations I am giving the viewer a chance to experience an otherwise mundane space in a way that will convey an understanding of its historical significance.
