about Too Young To Die

Gun violence is an epidemic that not only plagues lower-income, urban neighborhoods, but also affects youth from all walks of life. "Too Young To Die" looks at the intended and unintended victims of gun violence in the United States and Guatemala.

I have worked on this project for tree years, last year documenting the families of two young Chicago girls that were the unintended victims of gun violence. Recently I began to explore the relationship between Guatemala and the United States, a relationship that has been shaped by the Guatemalan civil war that displaced thousands of families. Many adolescent refugees of the war, many of whom relocated to the United States, eventually became involved in street gangs and violence. While in the United States, Guatemalan youth encountered new forms of bloodshed. Eventually, as these adolescents were convicted of gang related crimes in this country, they were deported to Guatemala where they imported a new culture of violence. My work involving these two countries presents an unusual perspective of youth and families in this struggle. By illuminating the images of youth who face these problems on a daily basis, I hope to one day bring them out of the shadows of death