Mothers and Dreamers

Abstract

When I moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1999, I began teaching at the community college. Of the diverse population in my classes one group in particular stood out-single mothers, most of whom were returning to school after an absence of several years. I wondered about them, talked to them, and discovered they were a unique group: dedicated, sincere, courageous, and focused on the goal of attaining an education to improve their circumstances for themselves and especially for their children. All of this in face of what many would consider insurmountable odds. Rather than dwelling on the negative, these women were full of hope and determination. I wanted to photograph them, to show their strengths and the closeness of their families. So that each mother would have her own voice, I asked each to write a statement of what she would want the viewer to know about her life. Their thoughts together with these images created the concept of this project. I photographed only women who are single and who live on their own. Most of the women are from nothern New Mexico, a few are from New Orleans. While some may believe that a photograph is an absolute truth, in fact, the photographer chooses the exact moment, and the result is truth as the photographer sees it. Therefore, I claim no objectivity for these photographs; I want viewers to see that single motherhood can have a hopeful perspective, that these women are mothers and dreamers.