Louisa Marie Summer
Jennifer’s Family
ABOUT THE BOOK… Louisa Marie Summer’s photographs in this book share her experience with Jennifer, a young second-generation Puerto Rican woman, whom one day Louisa approached in South Providence, Rhode Island. Jennifer lives with her native American partner and their four children at or near the lower end of the socio-economic ladder. South Providence is an urban neighborhood with a large African-American and Hispanic population, high unemployment and crime rates; many families live well below the poverty line. Over time Louisa and the family developed a close relationship based on mutual understanding, respect, and trust. Accordingly, Louisa’s photographs provide an intimate view into the daily life of Jennifer’s family. They illustrate how a 26 year old mother, in spite of difficult living conditions, poverty, and illness, manages to maintain optimistic while thoroughly caring for her children. Louisa’s photographs show a quality of great empathy, but by no means does she expose weakness or defect; she allows each of her subjects dignity and personal impact.
Louisa Marie Summer Jennifer’s Family With texts by Mairéad Byrne
If you take us out of this raggedy-ass area you will see we’re just like you. It’s just that we’re a little more violent. We’re from two different worlds, you and me. Tompy to Louisa
ON THE BLOCK I met him in Federal Hill and he was my serious stalker. I was fourteen and he used to pop by my house to bring me cigarettes. He was cool, real cool. I used to sit there and tease him. I used to like walk by, flirt a little bit with him. So that’s how I know Tompy. From the block. He seen me when I was pregnant. And he kicked me out of his car. Because I wasn’t allowed to smoke. Because I was pregnant. I didn’t see him after that. I moved to Friendship. Then I saw him at the store with the Devo bike. I gave him a kiss on his cheek. He got soup. He said Come and see me! We can chill! My friend liked him so I tried to hook her up with him but he said she was ugly. So he was still trying to get with me. So in the process I started talking to him and chillin with him. You know he was just my booty call! That’s how we got together. He ended up staying with me. We have three children together. He’s been around my son since my son was five months. My son is now nine years old. Jennifer
MOTHERS I fell in love with Tompy’s mother before I even liked him. Tompy’s mother was a sweetheart. She was a good woman, a strong woman. She was a teacher. She was great as a mother and a grandmother, you know. She was a really good woman. She always wanted the best for Tompy. But the street actually got to him more than listening to his mom and going on the right path. Also his family went through a lot, they lost his two sisters before Tompy, actually Roline, Barbara, then Tink, then the little one, I never remember her name, one died of leukemia, and the other one died a crib death. So his mom been through the same thing my mom kinda been through, you know, except my mom, her kid didn’t pass, he got stolen. They went through that drinking situation and all that. And our stuff has a lot in common, so me and him clicked off. Jennifer
DRIVING A white girl
Yeah we turn around,
and a black guy
we’re going back.
do not mix on the next street.
You can take that turn right there and go back to the house, you got what I’m saying?
So we have to go down this street right here
We can take that turn right there and go back to the house,
and the first turn, we turn around
but I’d rather go back this way.
and we gonna go back. To be safe, We going back home,
you know what I’m saying.
back to Jenny’s.
We be safe.
This is a dangerous street.
We be safe.
Matter of fact this guy right here,
Pokey
he’s going to pull off (I know him) and watch where he go — He’s going straight! He will not go on this street — and he live right there! He’s going to go up a couple of streets and turn. Now you turn here, you turn here, you turn here! Right go up! See that turn right there? This is where we going to turn right right right right right right here right here!
MAD STRESS My brother got shot at two o’clock in the afternoon. He was driving. He came out of this lot and he turned around and they shot up his car. They seen his face. The window was half-way down. They still shot at him. They shot aiming at the baby’s head. They shot the fucking car seat by accident. My niece is taller than my little nephew. If my niece would have been in that car she would have been dead. It is so crazy. So many things just happening. He’s got that bag in the stomach, now he has to poop through a bag. On Harold and Regent, 9/12/11 After my brother got shot a boy got shot and he got killed. We know him. That little boy. On Sumter Street, 11/28/11 We know Booda. He got shot right here. They blew his whole head off. I seen everything afterward. So messed up. So messed up. Really bad. On Broad Street, 10/26/11 The woman in the car. We know her too. She was young. Esscence. She’s done. She’s dead. Left her kid behind. The other people that was in the car with her got shot. On Broad Street,11/26/11 It’s been too much. It’s been crazy. Now my sister. Too much stuff happening to her. And everything combined is like so fucked up. Life is so full of shit you know. Like you really can’t live like this. I don’t know, know what I’m saying, I don’t know how can they don’t stop the killing. Jennifer
EVERYTHING CHANGES I see my kids and they’re going to be alright. By the time they’re big, they’re going to do good. I see them doing good actually. So yeah, I see my kids doing good. I see them going to college. I see it. I do. I see my kids doing good. I see them going to college, doing something for themself, being a doctor, either a lawyer or something, something great. By that time probably I’ll live in a house and we’re doing very good you know what I mean we’ll be doing very good. Not as bad as we are now. It’s pretty hard. Living. Paying $800 and all that stuff. By that time I’ll probably be fine from the sleep apnea. I don’t know. Everything will probably change you know. That’s what happens in life. Everything changes. Jennifer
Somebody else is listening to what I’m going through, and they’re probably going through that same thing. I hope they take that as experience you know, run with it, do what you got to do with your life, start it when you can. Jennifer
WHEN I MET LOUISA I always wanted to make a book about my life. I’m not a very friendly person. Not saying that I’m racist or nothing but a white person, you know what I’m saying, I think the worst of them. Because so many things just go on in life. Social workers be popping out like that. It kind of made me nervous, when she was speaking to my kid, and plus, not just that, my brother got stolen at nine years old, so it was kind of an issue when she popped out. She was talking to the kids, the kids was really friendly, like all over her and stuff, it dropped my heart, you know what I’m saying. I was kind of like in a piss mood, threw on my hoodie, went out there. I was speaking to her and she was explaining to me. At first I didn’t want to hear it, I really didn’t care. But then when she explained to me that she was a student, I said Alright, I guess I can do it, you know what I’m saying? Tompy was awkward with her. Like Nah, no, heck no, what are you crazy? You don’t know what she is. She’s probably an undercover just checking up on you. Trying see what’s going on in the house. Trying to see if the kids are fine or not, you know, stupid stuff. And I was like You know, I don’t care, she can check whatever she wants to, I don’t have nothing to hide. She showed me her ID, that was good, her RISD ID. You did show me your ID! And I was like Oh Okay whatever. Alright. I was like That’s fine. Then she explained to me she wanted to do the book and stuff, afterwards, after we got to know her real good, and I was fine with it because I always wanted to—like I can’t read, everybody that knows me knows I can’t read, to save my life, you know. My kids know how to read and I force them to read and get into books and stuff cuz I couldn’t, you know. I want my kids to be better than I was, you know, as a kid. I want them to finish school and do a lot of things really good. I think it’s going to be a great book. Jennifer www.schiltpublishing.com