Kenneth, a 10-year-old boy, sits at a round table in a small, smoke-filled hotel room five days before Thanksgiving in Oklahoma City while his 8-year-old sister, Serenity, practices handstands on the double bed next to him. He is trying to solve a problem that is much bigger than any homework question. His family is out of money, again. At 11:00am the following morning they will have no way to pay the $79.00 for the hotel room and will have nowhere to go.
Chronically homeless for over two years, this is not the first time the family has been out of money and out of options. Kenneth begs his mother to send him and his eight-year-old sister to stay with friends until they find a better option. Keri is determined to keep the kids with her and Billy, their father, as they "hotel hop" and wear out their welcome with family members.
This is not another story about the cycle of poverty, nor is it a character study of Keri and Billy and the path they've taken. This story is not really even about where they are sleeping tonight, because that will change in the morning. This is a story about the future.
That future hinges on the one constant in their lives: the school they attend, which delivers both education and basic needs in equal measure. Both children attend Positive Tomorrows, a small, privately-funded school in the heart of Oklahoma City designed to meet the needs of homeless children.
For the past two school years, I have followed teachers navigating the classroom, families moving from homelessness to stable housing, and the heartbreak of turnover when families leave school abruptly.
With a disciplined documentary style, my goal is to create a series of images that show an educational landscape often seen as too complex, too unfocused or too far removed from everyday life.
Access to education is one of the only ways young people can take control of their futures. These images speak to the families' needs and why their children deserve all of the educational opportunities available, despite the socioeconomic class they are born into.
