http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/jacob-ave daily 0.75 2013-01-04 http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/portfolio daily 0.75 2025-04-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531084508-PVNRX9S6Q9E82YQ96DZS/043_PORTFOLIO.JPG Singles - 043_PORTFOLIO.JPG Sabar Bano, 45, walks through a destroyed section of Dahan-e-Seli in Baghlan, Afghanistan on November 6, 2024. Her husband died while he prayed for everyone’s survival during a flash flood that swept through the village, killing thirteen. A neighbor managed to help her and her children escape. At this moment, all of the men in the village were away at a wedding so the women could not leave the community. Women need a mahram, or a male chaperone, with them when they leave the village. With her husband gone, she must have her ten-year-old son chaperone her outside of her home. Three years after their takeover of Afghanistan, the Taliban has implemented dozens of new laws and restrictions against women. Requiring women to have a male chaperone whenever they leave their home, banning them from public spaces, limiting access to education, preventing them from holding jobs, and silencing their voices. This has left women with little hope for the future. This story, done in part despite a ban on photographing living beings, is a rare look at some of the issues Afghan women face under these new Taliban laws. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531084508-PVNRX9S6Q9E82YQ96DZS/043_PORTFOLIO.JPG Singles - 043_PORTFOLIO.JPG Sabar Bano, 45, walks through a destroyed section of Dahan-e-Seli in Baghlan, Afghanistan on November 6, 2024. Her husband died while he prayed for everyone’s survival during a flash flood that swept through the village, killing thirteen. A neighbor managed to help her and her children escape. At this moment, all of the men in the village were away at a wedding so the women could not leave the community. Women need a mahram, or a male chaperone, with them when they leave the village. With her husband gone, she must have her ten-year-old son chaperone her outside of her home. Three years after their takeover of Afghanistan, the Taliban has implemented dozens of new laws and restrictions against women. Requiring women to have a male chaperone whenever they leave their home, banning them from public spaces, limiting access to education, preventing them from holding jobs, and silencing their voices. This has left women with little hope for the future. This story, done in part despite a ban on photographing living beings, is a rare look at some of the issues Afghan women face under these new Taliban laws. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531081685-LQ0KWVH56WVS4B7AV8AB/024_PORTFOLIO.JPG Singles - 024_PORTFOLIO.JPG HERAT, AFGHANISTAN-MAY 11:A Taliban police officer drives an American humvee to a flood zone as other Taliban officers watch from the bed of a truck through his windshield in Chesht-e-Sharif, Herat, Afghanistan on May 11, 2024. Flash floods hit the area damaging homes and destroying crops. Many American military supplies were left behind and taken over by the Taliban after the United States pulled out of the country. Without proper emergency response equipment, this Taliban police unit has resorted to using the humvee left behind to help them in emergency situations, like the floods. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531087084-26EWEGBNYTFQWR24YW70/050_PORTFOLIO.JPG Singles - 050_PORTFOLIO.JPG KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN-MAY 7:Refugees who said they first fled the war in Afghanistan and then fled climate challenges in Pakistan to return to Afghanistan stand in a refugee camp in Kandahar province in Afghanistan on May 7, 2024. This area used to grow opium poppy plants, but have been converted to other crops.For decades, Afghanistan was the top exporter of opium in the world, accounting for more than 80 percent of the global supply prior to last year. Two-thirds of the country’s opium poppies were grown in southern Afghanistan, where temperatures in the last fifty years increased by up to 4.3 degrees Fahrenheit. The hardy plants thrived despite the harsh, salty desert landscape. Farmers relied on the crop to make their living through droughts and heat. Two years ago, after the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, they banned opium on religious grounds. Afghan farmers turning to alternative crops are finding that many no longer grow well because of the impact of climate change. This is forcing some farmers to abandon their fields, while others are weighing whether they should continue to comply with the ban on poppy cultivation. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1395629870392-Y7U05GP67KQTKNYSL4LL/C68-10-VanHC-A-01.JPG Singles “If these people don’t ever release me from prison, if I exhaust all my remedies in court, I’m gonna make these people kill me,” Daniel Taylor said to his brother, David Taylor during the third time that David purposefully got himself incarcerated in order to spend time with Daniel. When Daniel Taylor was 17, he was wrongly convicted of a double murder that he physically could not have committed. Police investigators beat him into the false confession that sealed his fate, but there was paperwork to prove he had been in police custody for disorderly conduct at the time the murders occurred. Daniel spent two decades of his life sentence looking out from behind bars knowing that he had every right to be free. On June 28th, 2013, the charges against Daniel were dropped and he was released from maximum-security prison in Menard, IL. According to the National Registry of Exonerations, Daniel was the 90th to be exonerated in Cook County since 1989 and the 34th to be wrongfully convicted based on a faulty confession. This portrait is a part of a larger story, Exonerated: Am I Really Free?, which was done for the Chicago Tribune.   https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1498026303651-JDJIGQNH5K4GREN06Z9K/CVH_climaterefugees_001.JPG Singles Reggie Parfait, left, Juliette Brunet, and Howard Brunet stand for a portrait behind their uncle Chris Brunet's house on Isle de Jean Charles, Louisiana, USA on April 21, 2016. "We have to be careful with the .22; we need those shells for food," Chris, who is raising Juliette and Howard, said. Because they do not have a car and Chris is in a wheelchair, they cannot always get off of the island to get groceries. Instead, they make do with the limited resources the island can still provide. On this night, they made rabbit stew. Chris Brunet is the eighth generation in his family to live on the island as a member of the tribe. In one generation, "this island has gone from being self-sufficient and fertile to relying on grocery stores," he says. "What you see now is a skeleton of the island it once was." Since 1955, the Isle de Jean Charles Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw Tribe has lost 98 percent of its land to the encroaching Gulf waters. The Tribe's identity, food, and culture have slowly eroded with the land. In response, the Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded the Tribe $48 million to relocate through the National Disaster Resilience Competition. As the effects of climate change transform coastal communities around the world, the people of Isle de Jean Charles will be only 60 of the estimated 200 million people in coastal communities globally who could be displaced by 2050 because of climate change. This image was a part of The First Official Climate Refugees in the U.S. Race Against Time story I wrote and photographed for National Geographic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1498026375156-R989VVAWPFGXC6SRHEJL/CVH_043.JPG Singles Humpback whales swim through Cierva Cove along the Western Antarctic Peninsula on March 21, 2016. As climate change slowly raises temperatures in Antarctica, the longer summers mean that humpback whales stay in the area feeding much longer than they historically have. This delays their migration and breeding as well as increasing their body size. This photo is from the Searching for Whales in Antarctica story done for National Geographic on how climate change is affecting whale populations in Antarctica.     https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1456028194149-CD8U5FQBEIU8PBU90K5A/BAMBERGERS_011.JPG Singles Serenity Bamberger floats in the Little Blanco River along her family's property on August 18, 2015 in Blanco, Texas. Three months prior, over Memorial Day, the same river flooded their home and business destroying the majority of the family's belongings and source of income. The Memorial Day weekend flooding, which affected Texas and Oklahoma, killed 24 people according to The Associated Press. Three of those deaths occurred along the Blanco River of which the Little Blanco River is a direct tributary. Despite the toll the river has taken, Bertha Rivera, Serenity's grandmother, said, "The river bed was dry for years, so now that the water is here I tell the girls to take advantage of it all that they can." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550975236777-COQ3R5SLJBGL80FFOLIT/CVH_1536.jpg Singles - Displaced by Harvey David Elliott looks on as Susan Elliott kisses one of their rescue dogs on their bed in their home in Wharton, Texas on June 29, 2018. When the flood from Hurricane Harvey came into their home they had to stay on top of their bed, which was surrounded by water, to stay dry and safe. The bedroom was the first room that they started repairing. Although still not finished, the bedroom remains one of the only rooms that is able to be lived in safely a year after the hurricane. They call it their "command center" because they do everything in this room, including eating their meals. "Our bedroom is still the only place where we can live," Susan said. "For months I didn't want to come out of the bedroom." Susan said that during the flood, her dog "Little Baby stayed on the bed with me the whole time. The dogs kept us calm. Baby kept me from collapsing." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1444027298340-8YCI9P11B4TENIAWSUXG/C70-14-VanHC-03.JPG Singles Erin O'Loughlin embraces her son Brendan O'Loughlin after his brother Marcus O'Loughlin, who has autism, attacked him while they were playing on the trampoline outside the family's home in Cary, NC on October 6, 2014. As Marcus has aged, the frustrations that result from his autism have turned him violent towards his family. Shortly after this incident Erin and her husband Colm O'Loughlin decided to permanently move Marcus, at age 11, to an assisted living facility for their other children's safety as well as their own. "We know in our hearts that Marcus is going to need assistance for the rest of his life," Erin said. "As far as Marcus living a regular normal life with everybody else in the world, that might not be right for him and he might not be happy with that, so why should I push that on him? We just want Marcus to be happy. We want him to reach his full potential, whatever that might be." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1498026473296-LS761Q8XCE37R2TZOQNV/20160627_hb2SCOTUS_cvh_001_1.JPG Singles Whole Woman's Health, plaintiffs in the Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt case, and women's reproductive and abortion rights advocates react to the Supreme Court of the United States' 5-3 ruling in a closed Whole Woman's Health clinic, in Austin, Texas, USA on June 27, 2016. The plaintiffs argued that Texas House Bill 2, which closed dozens of abortion clinics across Texas including this one, was unconstitutional. The Supreme Court agreed and ruled that Texas cannot place restrictions on abortion providers that pose an undue burden on women trying to access abortions. Upon hearing what is being considered the nation's most significant abortion ruling in a generation, those gathered hoped that closed clinics, such as this one, will be able to someday reopen because of this ruling. On the wall of a procedure room in the closed clinic, there is a Sojourner Truth quote that reads, "The truth is powerful and it prevails." The clinic reopened nearly a year later. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550975245185-YZCW9611JGJ7NHIUEXE2/CVH_4319_1.jpg Singles William Rafael Carranza Martinez laughs after running away from the waves with Jessica Carolina Dominguez Martinez, 1, and Elda Hidalia Martinez, 9, near the border wall before marrying his partner at the beginning of the March Without Borders at Friendship Park on April 29, 2018 in Tijuana, Mexico. Hundreds of migrants from Central America traveled for about a month across Mexico to reach the United States border. In the afternoon, the group, including the Martinez family, plans to go to the San Ysidro border crossing south of San Diego, California, where many of the migrants will seek asylum. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550975258354-8RRXRTW8YUTYI0A4UXKW/CVH_7224+2.jpg Singles Police officers stand guard at the scene of a shooting while the Comandos de Salvamento attend to the shooter, who was also shot, on a street in San Salvador, El Salvador on September 29, 2018. Earlier that day there had been another shooting in the same area. The Comandos de Salvamento are a first responder volunteer group that aids in stabilizing and transporting people who have been victims of violence, accidents or need emergency medical care. Many volunteers became members of the group as a way to stay out of gangs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550975259571-XP3Q4K5S8Z6U61SZ2EIY/CVH_7546B.jpg Singles Cindy Romero, 24, from Honduras, holds her son Jason Velasquez, 2, and shields him from the cold winds coming off of the Pacific ocean as they wait with friends at the beach on November 29, 2018 in Tijuana, Mexico. They were weighing their options and deciding whether they should cross the border illegally at the beach to ask for asylum. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1381033515847-YK8V3P02C2TCHGK5FFJ6/C68-03-VanHC-05.JPG Singles Children play along the 12th Street Beach in Chicago on August 13, 2013. Lifeguards had told them to get out of Lake Michigan because of rip tides and high levels of e. coli. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1418008706724-891AQE28I0DP650XHN91/VanHouten_Carolyn_Portfolio_selects_15.JPG Singles Joshua Seitter, 12, and Whiskey Lullaby stand for a portrait at the North Carolina State Fair on October 25, 2013. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1444027317218-MFDCK8ZD51JP31TED8A4/C70-14-VanHC-01.JPG Singles Caiden Contreras, who has autism, stands for a portrait in the room he shares with three of his brothers at his home in San Antonio, Texas on May 27, 2015. His parents are both unemployed and living off of his and some of his siblings' disability checks, as well as several other forms of financial assistance from the government. His mother Sandra Contreras homeschools Caiden and four of his seven siblings at their home. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1498026565582-WTYE8QDG2AK3HZ53MHER/CHARRO_CVH_017.JPG Singles Charros try to lasso a loose horse as a part of the Anniversary of the Mexican Revolution Charreada at the San Antonio Charros Association in San Antonio, Texas, USA on November 20, 2016. These charreadas are seen as a way for Mexican-Americans to hold onto and honor their heritage. Teams are often comprised of several generations of family members. The modern style of charreada developed after the Mexican Revolution, when the traditional charros began to disappear. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1456028249768-IQXI8D8JEUZ1SA5T13X9/2014_BookNYC_CVH014.JPG Singles Casey attended her final high school prom with her mother Janice at Forest Park High School on April 26, 2014. Although many people with autism are overwhelmed by loud noise and wild lights, Casey loved to dance with her mother to the music and watch her classmates interact. Her brother Emerson, who attends Forest Park, was also there with a group of his friends. Janice said, "I honestly think she felt like Cinderella or Belle that day and if it takes me going with her to make that happen, it is worth it to me." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1456028193011-CYRXBH1K8F9HAWXTEQTZ/AO6A3529.JPG Singles At nearly midnight on June 2, 2015, Alondra Aragon, center, led a chant in City Hall in San Franciso, Calif. immediately after the Mission Moratorium was voted on. The final vote was 7-4 in favor of the moratorium, but the measure needed nine votes to be passed as an "interim emergency ordinance." Aragon and dozens of other Mission Moratorium supporters had filled the room for over eight hours that day. Of the supporters, San Francisco Board of Supervisors Member John Avalos said, "The rich fabric of the Mission is what is here today." Katy Tang, the supervisor from District 4, said, "This was incredibly moving for me, although at times emotional, very inspirational." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1405725463070-4RAEQOBB71E6H9NKJH02/baseball2.JPG Singles Reid Howard of Ferdinand, 8, walked a bat back to the dugout during the Class 2A sectional game in Tell City, IN on May 30, 2014. Forest Park was defeated by South Spencer 9-2. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1397529543923-MS39U0EVMDMZFX6G9ALB/140305_sectionalsouthridge16_CVH.jpg Singles Southridge senior Ethan Schwoeppe, bottom, Luke Stetter, junior, Drew Dearing, freshman, and Braden Harding, freshman, stacked on top of each other and cheered for the Raiders during halftime of their game against Washington in the IHSAA Class 3A sectional tournament in Huntingburg, IN on Wednesday. The Raiders lost 41-35. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1381033358867-6M39CS1GI3XQRQUO40BP/C68-03-VanHC-03.JPG Singles A victim of a rape holds her hands to her face after recalling what happened during the attack in Hazel Crest, Ill. on Wednesday, August 7, 2013. The Robbins Police Department failed to investigate the rape, which is now outside the statute of limitations. However, investigators are working on 52 other rape cases that remain within the statute of limitations. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531072056-G8SY166S9RWB45ZWT2AN/002_PORTFOLIO.JPG Singles - 002_PORTFOLIO.JPG KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN-MAY 7:Ataullah Noorzai, 30, who used to grow opium poppies and now has resorted to wheat, stands for a portrait in a shelter by his field in Kandahar province in Afghanistan on May 7, 2024. He said that his soil has become very salty and the revenue from wheat and barley is so meager that he has had to start borrowing from neighbors to make ends meet.For decades, Afghanistan was the top exporter of opium in the world, accounting for more than 80 percent of the global supply prior to last year. Two-thirds of the country’s opium poppies were grown in southern Afghanistan, where temperatures in the last fifty years increased by up to 4.3 degrees Fahrenheit. The hardy plants thrived despite the harsh, salty desert landscape. Farmers relied on the crop to make their living through droughts and heat. Two years ago, after the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, they banned opium on religious grounds. Afghan farmers turning to alternative crops are finding that many no longer grow well because of the impact of climate change. This is forcing some farmers to abandon their fields, while others are weighing whether they should continue to comply with the ban on poppy cultivation. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531075727-EIZV5EJO44YH8J25RXT0/003_PORTFOLIO.JPG Singles - 003_PORTFOLIO.JPG https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531075609-R7QMBVCHYIG4PVCKUVG3/004_PORTFOLIO.JPG Singles - 004_PORTFOLIO.JPG ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, ALASKA - JUNE 28:Caribou gather in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which is about the size of South Carolina, in Alaska on June 28, 2024. The fate of the refuge, its wildlife, and the oil reserves within it have been fought over for half-a-century. The Porcupine caribou herd, one of the world’s longest land migrations of mammals, passes through the refuge every year. Some opponents say that oil drilling will impede their migration. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531077522-ESVXS624D3ZILN1G1JQA/005_PORTFOLIO.JPG Singles - 005_PORTFOLIO.JPG KAKTOVIK, ALASKA - JUNE 28:Marie Rexford, Inũpiat resident, embraces the sunlight during a whaling feast in Kaktovik, Alaska on June 28, 2024. The fate of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, its wildlife, and the oil reserves within it have been fought over for half-a-century. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531077376-BPJ3VO0HPZ2XNGTKIOZL/006_PORTFOLIO.JPG Singles - 006_PORTFOLIO.JPG JAMESTOWN, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 18:on September 18, 2024 in Jamestown, NY. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531089372-4DRIV8UJC8CHE3KH87AK/20190828_cvh_dominica_2012.JPG Singles - 20190828_cvh_dominica_2012.JPG SOUFRIERE, DOMINICA - AUGUST 28:Jayden Bruce, 12, swims with friends in Soufriere, Dominica on August 28, 2024. In Dominica, which was destroyed by Hurricane Maria, the Citizenship By Investment program allows foreign nationals to get citizenship by investing money into real estate projects or contributing funds to pay for climate resilience projects. The projects include resilient infrastructure, shelters, medical centers, and housing for people who lost their homes to natural disasters.(Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531073175-8JAC8YMHELHK7M17Y1SO/001_PORTFOLIO.JPG Singles - 001_PORTFOLIO.JPG KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN-MAY 7:Asana, 9, holds Zaid Ahmad, 2, while walking with her sister Hafiza by their home in La'al Khan Qala in Kandahar province, Afghanistan on May 7, 2024. Their father Bashir Ahmad Durrani, 38, said prices for opium in Kandahar were lower because smuggling routes were limited in the area. According to Durban, some people left the village because of issues with the drought.For decades, Afghanistan was the top exporter of opium in the world, accounting for more than 80 percent of the global supply prior to last year. Two-thirds of the country’s opium poppies were grown in southern Afghanistan, where temperatures in the last fifty years increased by up to 4.3 degrees Fahrenheit. The hardy plants thrived despite the harsh, salty desert landscape. Farmers relied on the crop to make their living through droughts and heat. Two years ago, after the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, they banned opium on religious grounds. Afghan farmers turning to alternative crops are finding that many no longer grow well because of the impact of climate change. This is forcing some farmers to abandon their fields, while others are weighing whether they should continue to comply with the ban on poppy cultivation. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531081051-U3VDAYI1WO22HNHQMFSQ/015_PORTFOLIO.JPG Singles - 015_PORTFOLIO.JPG NEW ORLEANS, LA - May 4:Nicole collapses in a chair after attending a birthday dinner for her mother at her home in New Orleans, LA on May 4, 2023. Nicole was 14 when Officer Rodney Vicknair, then 53, of the New Orleans Police Department took her to the hospital for a rape examination after she said her 17-year-old friend forced himself on her. Four months later, Vicknair was instead arrested for also sexually assaulting Nicole. A Washington Post investigation found that at least 1,800 state and local police officers were charged with crimes involving child abuse from 2005 through 2022. Abusive officers most frequently targeted girls between 13 and 15 years old and regularly met them while on the job. The victim is being identified by her middle name only, to protect her identity. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/TWP) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531083884-8Q3RC8NI6JMIFGGP0XP2/033_PORTFOLIO.JPG Singles - 033_PORTFOLIO.JPG Malik Stanikzai’s horse, left, rears as men groom and prepare horses ahead of a buzkashi tournament in Baghlan, Afghanistan on November 7, 2024. Horses are often imported from neighboring countries, costing tens of thousands of dollars. Owners have men whose sole job is to care for them. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531087208-CDRFFRMCZE0ATAHC4EJQ/046_PORTFOLIO.JPG Singles - 046_PORTFOLIO.JPG Rather than watching the violent clashes on horseback, hundreds of men stare at the only woman in attendance during a buzkashi tournament in Baghlan, Afghanistan on November 7, 2024. Often threatened with arrest for trying, women are banned from attending many public events and spaces. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531466302-JB7RSCIYP97GSGGPLYFE/portfolio_014.JPG Singles - portfolio_014.JPG Matt Boyle tosses a small crab back as Luke McFadden, a crabber who has 1.6 million followers on TikTok, checks about 500 of his crab pots from his boat F.V. Southern Girl in the Chesapeake Bay on June 16, 2023 near Pasadena, MD. “I didn’t do this to get famous, I just want to crab,” he said. “There’s not a next generation of fishermen. All my peers are twice my age. They don’t retire. They can’t. They just die. My main point of social media is to make people care about watermen. The industry is at a crossroads right now.” A first generation crabber, he is one of the only crabbers of color and one of the youngest working on the Chesapeake Bay. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531467290-DBVH7MA177XSY8V5BC17/portfolio_015.JPG Singles - portfolio_015.JPG Emma Thomson of the Coral Restoration Foundation works among dead coral at a reef site called Pickles off the coast of Key Largo, FL on November 27, 2023. A marine heatwave over the summer killed much of the world’s third largest reef so quickly that the coral did not have time to bleach first. Thomson sobbed when she saw the reef for the first time after the mass death event. Dead coral lack color and are often covered in a moss-like overgrowth. “Back when I was an intern in 2016, I was working and feeling everything so deeply,” Thomson said. “Then Hurricane Irma hit and it wiped everything clear. Everything was just gone. It looked like someone had poured concrete over it and now, once again, another massive event comes through and decimates the corals. Seeing the skeletons is the worst part.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531469913-J6TLQ11VUGN4U7TE3K6F/portfolio_020.JPG Singles - portfolio_020.JPG Thousands of asylum-seeking migrants gathered on the US/Mexico border in the final hours of the Trump-era immigration policy, Title 42. When Title 42 expired at midnight on May 11th and Title 8 went into effect, the repercussions for crossing the border illegally became more severe. The flow of migrants crossing the Rio Grande River slowed significantly. However, the conditions at the encampment are squalid and the migrants, especially those seeking asylum legally via the CBP One app, say they have nowhere to turn. Alexander Nova holds Santiago Quintero, 6, as migrants seeking asylum traverse the Rio Grande River in order to cross the United States border before Title 42 expires on May 11, 2023 in Matamoros, Mexico. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531471135-UWGCEY74E4GENA0M13GK/portfolio_021.JPG Singles - portfolio_021.JPG Realizing the baby is drowning face-down in the water, migrants flip the baby over gasping for air in an attempt to save its life while trying not to drown themselves as they cross the Rio Grande River to the United States border on May 11, 2023 in Matamoros, Mexico. People waiting on the banks of the river could see the baby was drowning before the men in the water could, so they desperately shouted to the men. The thick vegetation in the river hid the reality of the deep water, making the crossing in hopes of asylum in the hours before Title 42 expired that night very dangerous. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531473304-FE5ITVRW76BGK6D8AFAQ/portfolio_023.JPG Singles - portfolio_023.JPG Isabel Rizzo, 25, and Alejandro Torre Alva, 27, both migrants from Venezuela seeking asylum rest on a walkway near the United States border on May 12, 2023 in Matamoros, Mexico. Information about changes to immigration policy spreads through migrant camps quickly, but is often inaccurate or confusing by the time it reaches an asylum-seeker. Resting along the main walkway through the tent encampment increases their chances of hearing enough information that they can piece together something close to the facts about how changes will affect them, such as with Title 42. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531474100-IFKEGSAX3MJPLNLL0XO3/portfolio_025.JPG Singles - portfolio_025.JPG Miley Vasquez, 9, waits with her family in hopes of getting a credible fear interview, a first step in the process of seeking asylum, at the United States border on May 12, 2023 in Matamoros, Mexico. When Title 42 expired, Title 8 went into effect. In Title 8, Mexicans can once again seek asylum in the United States. Vasquez’s family said that gang violence in Acapulco, Mexico was driving them from their home so as soon as Title 42 lifted, they wanted to try for asylum. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531476395-1XLWKRDORJHBEVVZE44P/portfolio_034.JPG Singles - portfolio_034.JPG Nancy Kidd, right, who is involved in running the Democrat tent, enjoys the Door County Fair with her granddaughter in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin on August 10, 2023. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531476926-1ONQSHUR4RXX56CBHAMS/portfolio_038.JPG Singles - portfolio_038.JPG Isela May Alcocer, 29, watches Ángel Hernandez, 2, play in the moldy, rat-infested trailer they share with seven others on May 16, 2023 in Door County, WI. A demand for housing and large numbers of vacant rental properties for tourists have resulted in a housing crisis in the area. Low-income families, especially the families of the migrant workers on dairy farms and fruit orchards in the area, sometimes have to share trailers with other families in order to afford rent and food. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531478209-JBQ4355JL2744ED1JT24/portfolio_039.JPG Singles - portfolio_039.JPG Michelle Henderson, owner, opens The Hen House Bar and Grill in Forestville, Door County, Wisconsin on October 12, 2023. The swing county, in the battleground state of Wisconsin, has backed every presidential election’s winning candidate since 2000. However, the county’s residents on both sides of the political aisle are tiring of politics altogether as the next election looms. Henderson, who often tends the bar, said she avoids political conversations with patrons because she is sick of politics. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531479587-RE4NPOICMAWO86WID61V/portfolio_045.JPG Singles - portfolio_045.JPG Drug cartels are using the Galápagos Islands as a gas station for the boats they use to smuggle cocaine north to Mexico and the United States. The cartels extort local fishermen who have access to subsidized gas. The large swaths of undeveloped land and small ports and airports on the islands make it easy for drugs to be smuggled through. In 2023, the navy seized nearly 25 tons of cocaine around the Galápagos—a 150 percent increase over 2022. Weapons are now also being smuggled along routes near the islands as Ecuadorian gangs fight for control of drug routes and violence in Ecuador soars.People hang out in Puerto Villamil on Isabela Island, Galápagos on April 25, 2023. While there is some demand for cocaine locally in this tourist hotspot, the majority is passing through on routes from South America north to Mexico and the US. Mexican and Albanian cartels’ efforts to meet an increasing demand for cocaine have aided in a historic increase in violence in Ecuador. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531479275-875B0IJ4J91ZKL2APQ2R/portfolio_061bw.jpg Singles - portfolio_061bw.jpg Taking a break from playing video games, Brooke and Billy High toss Kendall as Olivia watches at home in Tampa, FL on June 25, 2023. Brooke says she is proud of the decisions they have made for their family. Billy is a mechanic for the Air Force, while Brooke cares for the girls full time. However, they both said that they miss the freedom they had before. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745532485033-86RKWS3UBQDUOW2QCGYK/20241006_cvh_surinamejaguar_2274.JPG Singles - 20241006_cvh_surinamejaguar_2274.JPG BAKHUIS MOUNTAINS, SURINAME - OCTOBER 8:Marcos Carello, left, and Ashvin Partapsing, guides with Unlock Nature, use headlamps and a thermal camera to look for jaguars and other wildlife on the road from Paramaribo to the Bakhuis Mountains in Suriname after standing for a portrait on October 8, 2024. Chinese criminal organizations traffic jaguar parts out of Suriname as a part of a larger criminal enterprise in Latin America. The jaguars are often poached by hunters, loggers, miners, or community members who happen upon them while working and kill them because poached jaguars fetch a high price. The jaguar fangs and pelt are sold, while the rest of the jaguar is sometimes turned into paste or wine for Chinese medicinal purposes. Suriname is the most forested country on earth, making these acts difficult to track. Organizations like Earth League International use intelligence assets to investigate animal trafficking crimes, such as jaguar poaching and trafficking. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/new-folder daily 0.75 2012-11-01 http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/new-folder-1 daily 0.75 2012-09-19 http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/trinity daily 0.75 2012-11-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348076796830-QMY1KBKS9K2Q9KWHJS6Z/Screen+shot+2012-09-19+at+1.42.32+PM.png Trinity - Trinity The Trinity Lion's varsity basketball team prepares to play Burlington Christian Academy. Hansen French, a captain, stretches in the back of the room. Coach Mike Huff explained that French "is one of the best on the team. If he isn't playing, you can tell." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348076796830-QMY1KBKS9K2Q9KWHJS6Z/Screen+shot+2012-09-19+at+1.42.32+PM.png Trinity https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348077152045-UOL1QYQ8AYBP3R1V4O5C/Screen+shot+2012-09-19+at+1.48.11+PM.png Trinity The Lions huddle up to pray. Coach Huff's hand, wearing a ring with a cross, holds the team's hands together. Since Trinity is a Christian school, prayer is an important aspect of every game and practice. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348076822540-6ZF4HXRO10R5320XST5C/Screen+shot+2012-09-19+at+1.43.18+PM.png Trinity Hansen French, a captain for the Lions, makes a shot against the Oakwood Eagles in Greenville, NC. The Lions were defeated 71-49, but "fought hard against a highly talented team," Coach Huff said after the game. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348076848109-Y8S4O92Q6VM4USM35VE8/Screen+shot+2012-09-19+at+1.43.29+PM.png Trinity Left to Right: Todd Echstenkamper, a Junior, Christian Kowalski, a junior, Will Govert, a senior, and Hayes Thielman, a junior, listen to Coach Huff during half-time. They were playing Carolina Friends School. According to Govert, they have never been able to beat Carolina Friends and that after a 53-38 loss, it was not looking promising. Coach Huff said that "Friends' is like our kryptonite. I just don't understand why we can't beat them when we are just as good and fight so hard." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348076857499-US9HBTK8TMB27ZRACRWR/Screen+shot+2012-09-19+at+1.43.43+PM.png Trinity Hayes Thielman, a junior, looks back out the window of the Trinity bus at 10:30 pm. The team had just enjoyed a quick dinner together before making the 2 hour drive back to Durham from Greenville. Despite their loss, Hansen French, Senior Captain, said that they will "sing, procrastinate homework, and gossip all the way home." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348076886824-ZLRXZDC3NF22IVN8HN3O/Screen+shot+2012-09-19+at+1.43.56+PM.png Trinity Todd Echtenskamper, a junior, laughs as Christian Kowalski, also a junior, gives him a friendly punch from behind during practice. The team practices most weekday nights and because of it has become really close. Coach Mike Huff said, "I have a great group of guys to work with. The juniors on the team are especially tight though, always sticking together." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348076893295-WSHNTDSYQV002UTAWFNX/Screen+shot+2012-09-19+at+1.44.07+PM.png Trinity Coach Mike Huff stands in the middle of Trinity's gym reading off the exercises that he wanted his team to do. They were preparing to play a series of teams who they had a history of losing against. Despite that daunting prospect, Coach Huff remained positive and confident. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348076919861-QF9XQYFYZ54PUV04A860/Screen+shot+2012-09-19+at+1.44.16+PM.png Trinity Towards the end of every practice Coach Huff has the juniors and seniors compete against eachother in a shooting contest. They have to make a certain number of free throws, three-pointers, and, finally, two half court shots. Senior Andrew James, according to Coach Huff, hardly ever misses a half court shot; therefore, the seniors had won every shooting competition all season. However, on February 6th, two juniors made the half court shots before the seniors were done hitting all their three-pointers. It was the first time that the juniors had won all season and, thus, was cause for celebration. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348076945823-PZEKIZAHM1X24C1Q6OZI/Screen+shot+2012-09-19+at+1.44.34+PM.png Trinity Hayes Thielman, a junior, tries to gather his nerves during half-time in the Lions' second face-off against Carolina Friends School. The Lions, after never having beaten Carolina Friends, went into half-time tied. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348076953017-4KRCJG6Z9VB2E33QRC2F/Screen+shot+2012-09-19+at+1.44.47+PM.png Trinity Coach Mike Huff tried to rally the team during a time-out. This was the closest that the Lions had ever come to beating Carolina Friends. The Lions had been down by 3 with 50 seconds left, made a shot making them 1 point behind with 34.4 seconds left. After the time-out Carolina Friends made a three-pointer, making the final loss 59-55. In the locker room after the game, Coach Mike Huff told them that he had never seen them play so hard and that he was extremely proud of how close they had gotten to finally beating Carolina Friends. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348076961620-6BFXPLQG4268JZ9AABQF/Screen+shot+2012-09-19+at+1.45.15+PM.png Trinity Maurice Troy, junior, winces as half-time as Coach Mike Huff tries to pump up the team. They had fallen behind Burlington Christian Academy by nearly 20 points and, according to Troy, had little hope of catching up. http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/acts-of-love daily 0.75 2012-11-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348077241370-8RSUF1OA9YNX2K8FERHK/Screen+shot+2012-09-19+at+1.49.56+PM.png Acts of Love - Acts of Love Lou Van Houten attempts to shave himself in a mirror. Since he has begun to lose his sight, he has had a lot more difficulty doing simple everyday tasks. His wife of 61 years often has to shave the places that he has missed when he is done. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348077241370-8RSUF1OA9YNX2K8FERHK/Screen+shot+2012-09-19+at+1.49.56+PM.png Acts of Love https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348077252517-4OZDV8M89OUSNGRFLWSD/Screen+shot+2012-09-19+at+1.50.29+PM.png Acts of Love Roz and Lou share a quiet moment after Roz had finished shaving Lou, one of her favorite daily acts of love. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348077257046-93IX05ANZL09MEH1A722/Screen+shot+2012-09-19+at+1.50.40+PM.png Acts of Love Lou gets his eyes examined to determine whether he will need a second procedure. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348077268428-MRRM7KNFEF8WYTPXEKHK/Screen+shot+2012-09-19+at+1.50.49+PM.png Acts of Love Lou awaits another set of eye drops from Roz. He gets eye drops about five times a day. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348077270781-JUHZ38RUY58BRI6M9B8T/Screen+shot+2012-09-19+at+1.50.56+PM.png Acts of Love Roz drives to the Annapolis Hospital for her shoulder surgery and Lou’s two eye appointments. Lou used to do all of the driving until he lost his sight, but now it is one of Roz’s responsibilities. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348077293794-KV012PCABMC0HYCCBRC0/Screen+shot+2012-09-19+at+1.51.04+PM.png Acts of Love Lou waits for Roz to be released after spending 14 hours in the hospital for her shoulder surgery. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348077284390-VPOFYJEVDODLWKXY1UP6/Screen+shot+2012-09-19+at+1.51.19+PM.png Acts of Love Lou watches Roz intently as she suffers a lot of pain after surgery. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348077306100-17WXXAANC2BH8FKVXN10/Screen+shot+2012-09-19+at+1.51.26+PM.png Acts of Love Roz and Lou Van Houten lay in bed before they must get up for another day filled with “acts of love”, as Roz calls them, when they each have to compensate for the other’s disabilities. http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/27344-siler-city daily 0.75 2012-11-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348077829780-MDKZNKTWSUHG8UAK50L8/Screen+shot+2012-09-19+at+1.59.51+PM.png 27344 - 27344: Chatham County Driving into Siler City, NC you can immediately see the contrast between the new and the old. The new section of town right off of the highway is lined with big corporations like Walmart, Tractor Supply, and McDonald’s. It seems to be about as bustling as any small, middle-of-nowhere NC town would normally be. However, once you venture down to Main St. and the original parts of town, all is quiet. It seems to be dying. The few cars you see are merely passing through. Just a few years ago, the town was bustling with immigrant workers and farmers associated with the two chicken plants in town. When they left, the main industry in the town left with them. The result is a shift to the cattle industry, the deterioration of original shops, and the youth nonetheless looking ever-hopeful for the future. This photo essay focuses on the effects of the changing industry on the old Chatham County way of life. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348077829780-MDKZNKTWSUHG8UAK50L8/Screen+shot+2012-09-19+at+1.59.51+PM.png 27344 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348077882599-2SNFB82SE6DLUE3BHZF1/Screen+shot+2012-09-19+at+1.59.59+PM.png 27344 Two members of the Chatham County Historical Society joke around after surveying a newly-found cemetery outside of Siler City. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348077843437-R60OYZEARZ7WU2E60J55/Screen+shot+2012-09-19+at+2.00.09+PM.png 27344 Sonya Holmes checks on her empty chicken barns. She was a chicken farmer for the Townsend Corporation, until they closed down their plant. The chicken industry was a huge contributor to the Chatham County economy, so when the two plants closed, many people were affected. Mrs. Holmes is now running for Congress, in an effort to make agricultural issues such as this known. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348077868839-TVP014R4KJZDFM5CSHZL/Screen+shot+2012-09-19+at+2.00.18+PM.png 27344 A cow is slaughtered in Chaudry Halal Meats. Abdul Chaudry, owner, said, “We have to hire hispanics to do the actual act of slaughtering because we are Hindu. However, he said that the industry is good since there are lots of cattle in the area. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348077896400-NQETNQT9H63ZD9RIBWKS/Screen+shot+2012-09-19+at+2.00.26+PM.png 27344 Tommy Emerson drives through a pasture to dump the manure in the back. He said, “Chatham County is a great county. Its a good place to live, good people, we got some economic challenges, but I understand. We arent the only place thats suffering adversity of this nature. All over the southeast there are little Siler Cities everywhere where the economy has changed and they are suffering.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348077919392-EWJW2E8WF75VSZTKS8ZK/Screen+shot+2012-09-19+at+2.00.35+PM.png 27344 Nancy Tysor, manager of Farmer’s Alliance, said, “I am retiring in May because I cannot watch this store suffer financially any longer. Walmart came and this business began to die. People come in for our specialty items, but the demand just isn’t there.” Farmer’s Alliance is the last original Siler City business left in the town. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348077934779-GFLTRUS35NYQ8NBQ7P8B/Screen+shot+2012-09-19+at+2.00.44+PM.png 27344 A patron of Johnson’s Burger waits for his cheeseburger. Carolyn Routh, the owner’s daughter, called Johnson’s a “Siler City staple”. They close down when they run out of beef at the end of the day and only accept cash, but they have been in business for over 50 years. ”We are one of the few old businesses who is still doing okay,” she said. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348077947741-1SJ39SDIX7TYSZ74B0X1/Screen+shot+2012-09-19+at+2.00.52+PM.png 27344 Ritchie Teague, a local barber, reads the Chatham News in his shop. ”I read the paper a lot, because these days work is slow. Everybody likes the fancy glamour shop down the road,” he said. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348077962073-U2Z6N2ETKDXYFMX5PADO/Screen+shot+2012-09-19+at+2.00.59+PM.png 27344 Noemi Francisco Lopez, left, gets tickled by Deborah Francisco Lopez, right, in the EDTNS Ministries building in Siler City. Their mother, Pastor Sharon Zagada, said that they hold service three days a week in spanish for “the large population of hispanic workers who moved to Siler City to work in the chicken industry, but now that that is gone, they are out of work and beginning to leave the area.” For more Chatham County stories, please see Maintaining Emerson Hill and Grassroots. http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/weddings daily 0.75 2012-09-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348162654284-813XODK0CRAWDTWXLTMO/Screen+shot+2012-09-20+at+1.26.14+PM.png Weddings https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348162654284-813XODK0CRAWDTWXLTMO/Screen+shot+2012-09-20+at+1.26.14+PM.png Weddings https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348162661888-GEXP4N2M2O2LDJYWEL7Q/Screen+shot+2012-09-20+at+1.32.29+PM.png Weddings 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https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348164515567-J44VSEV867F31HSRY0T6/Screen+shot+2012-09-20+at+1.58.40+PM.png Weddings https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348164515552-ORLK7U8UZ3XOBKD3K8SW/Screen+shot+2012-09-20+at+1.57.53+PM.png Weddings https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348164516130-EKNPP4ITEN9YRW7XSH9B/Screen+shot+2012-09-20+at+1.58.15+PM.png Weddings https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348164515973-GS25IWSZ4L7K03ULDHNT/Screen+shot+2012-09-20+at+2.02.42+PM.png Weddings https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348164516586-HCBB63DWPE0CG4EGR344/Screen+shot+2012-09-20+at+2.02.09+PM.png Weddings https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348164516878-8V6ISV0ZPWXKR62U66U2/Screen+shot+2012-09-20+at+2.01.52+PM.png Weddings https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348164517544-CQPG63TFNZLSIDTSR4SE/Screen+shot+2012-09-20+at+2.03.15+PM.png Weddings https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348164517761-Q2GGCNH14Q7QPR2HI15O/Screen+shot+2012-09-20+at+2.03.44+PM.png Weddings https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348164517880-MRLA7833YVTP2GJG14WS/Screen+shot+2012-09-20+at+2.04.21+PM.png Weddings http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/the-house-autism-built daily 0.75 2017-06-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1354044961626-1UP209TZN6N5AU1SFEJ6/Screen+shot+2012-11-27+at+2.35.48+PM.png The House Autism Built - The House Autism Built "Things that wouldn't bother us might set him off completely," Erin O'Loughlin said. "A lot of it is because of overstimulation and sensory issues. So, we wind up looking for what makes him happy and what makes him tick--whats good for his reality and his world--and then we foster that." Her son, Marcus O'Loughlin, 8, was diagnosed with autism when he was three years old. Autism is a developmental disorder that is usually diagnosed in the first three years of a child’s life. It affects the neurological development of social and communication skills. There are various types of autism diagnoses, which are placed on a spectrum. It is still unknown whether the development of autism is related to genetics or prenatal and early childhood environment. A version of this was published on TIME.com along with new findings from the CDC that indicate a 30% increase in autism diagnoses since 2012.   https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1354044961626-1UP209TZN6N5AU1SFEJ6/Screen+shot+2012-11-27+at+2.35.48+PM.png The House Autism Built - The House Autism Built "Things that wouldn't bother us might set him off completely," Erin O'Loughlin said. "A lot of it is because of overstimulation and sensory issues. So, we wind up looking for what makes him happy and what makes him tick--whats good for his reality and his world--and then we foster that." Her son, Marcus O'Loughlin, 8, was diagnosed with autism when he was three years old. Autism is a developmental disorder that is usually diagnosed in the first three years of a child’s life. It affects the neurological development of social and communication skills. There are various types of autism diagnoses, which are placed on a spectrum. It is still unknown whether the development of autism is related to genetics or prenatal and early childhood environment. A version of this was published on TIME.com along with new findings from the CDC that indicate a 30% increase in autism diagnoses since 2012.   https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348714709089-PEFI2VDYGUP2RFQMLULC/PF_vanhouten_002.jpg The House Autism Built The O'Loughlin Family lives in suburban Cary, NC in one of a row of similarly built houses, but nothing is similar about the O'Loughlin Family. Erin said, "Marcus and his autism are all my children have really ever known. Autism has always been a part of our lives so it is just a part of who they are. It is hard on Jordan and Brendan. I spend a good portion of my thoughts worrying about them resenting me later on. There is a term out in the special needs community called glass children. A glass child is a sibling of a special needs child whose parents are so consumed with the needs of their brother or sister that they look straight through them as if they are made of glass. So I am constantly keeping myself in check and trying not to take for granted their emotional health and their very real needs of their typical childhood. I know they take in and absorb everything that goes on in our house with Marcus, except that they cope with it with the coping skills of a child. We try our hardest to balance the needs of Marcus versus Jordan and Brendan’s needs versus our marital needs versus our family needs and its all a huge balancing act."   https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348714745001-UT3K82MWRFS5HJAWIKHH/PF_vanhouten_005.jpg The House Autism Built Erin said, "I often try to think what it must be like in his little brain and I envision fireworks, just fireworks going off. I don’t know what it is like in there, but it must be like living with constant noises and sounds and explosions going off all the time."   https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348714802305-97MJPXBABPQRZW4CJWUO/PF_vanhouten_012.jpg The House Autism Built "We know in our hearts that Marcus is going to need assistance for the rest of his life," Erin said. "There's still this hole in our community and our society that exists for adults with autism. It does not stop at age 18, it is not something you grow out of." One in every 88 children is diagnosed with autism. Erin is concerned that "10-15 years from now we're going to have a huge problem on our hands. Not all of them are severe enough where they are going to need constant intervention and services for the rest of their lives, but many of them are." "As far as Marcus living a regular normal life with everybody else in the world, that might not be right for him and he might not be happy with that, so why should I push that on him? We just want Marcus to be happy. We want him to reach his full potential, whatever that might be."   https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1364277694685-7O477OMGPXFY43SI04YA/VanHouten_UNCCH_PictureStory__005.jpg The House Autism Built Marcus has a one-on-one session with his teacher, Kim Lopes, at Middle Creek School. He has been in the same autism-specific classroom for two years. However, he must move up to a higher class level next year, despite being unprepared for the material. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1364277709704-OKND4QIEFQUBY86W4R8W/VanHouten_UNCCH_PictureStory__006.jpg The House Autism Built Marcus spends much of his time at school watching children play outside. Middle Creek Elementary is primarily for what the autism community calls "typical" children--those who do not have developmental disabilities. Erin considers herself lucky that there is an autism-specific classroom in her area. This type of classroom is becoming much less common and is vital to Marcus' development. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1364277716844-C7O18NPCPSZ05YVNEEI8/VanHouten_UNCCH_PictureStory__007.jpg The House Autism Built Colm, Marcus' father, shelters Marcus as they watch Brendan run during a soccer lesson. Colm has always played soccer and enjoys sharing that with Brendan. Colm works long hours to support his family, so Marcus stays close to him whenever he is home. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348714792335-19NNAO212NBH9VRMLD9G/PF_vanhouten_009.jpg The House Autism Built Erin explained that, for Jordan and Brendan, "having a special needs person in their lives is just natural for them. That is their world, so if they see another person with different special needs, it doesn't even phase them. Sometimes they even go up and start talking to them. They may have a question or two for me later, but that factor of inhibition and fear is simply not there and it is a beautiful thing."   https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348714770013-W6V2MDIOLNE9TF7ZB47U/PF_vanhouten_007.jpg The House Autism Built The three O'Loughlin children play at the end of their street. Their mom said, "I want them to always know I love them for who they are, for their very existence of being here. They don't need to be Marcus' caretaker. They don't need to be strong for us. They don't need to be good girls and good boys because we have a lot on our plates. No, they just need to be typical kids." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348714727589-VMETWNT4XZ8QLRY6Z2MG/PF_vanhouten_004.jpg The House Autism Built Jordan, left, was very enthusiastic about a story written in the Cary News on her mom's efforts to start 3 Irish Jewels Farm, an assisted living farm for adults with autism. Erin is still in the process of raising money, but she said, "I want to guarantee a future for Marcus and the farm is my way of doing that."   She said, "Individuals with autism have specific, different needs from your typical individual. They have high sensory issues. They cannot be in an urban environment where there are tons of sounds and crowded issues going on. They need that sense of serenity and they need an area where they can call home." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348714788004-9ACHQO0XW842VP5PGIPI/PF_vanhouten_010.jpg The House Autism Built The day that Marcus was diagnosed, “all I wanted to do as I was sitting there crying was just, you know, bury my head in my son’s chest and hug him, which I tried to do and he kind of broke free away from me and went to go play with the cars,” Erin said. Since Marcus' little brother Brendan was young, he lined these cars up on the side of the bathtub very precisely. It made Erin and Colm nervous, because that is something Marcus did around the time he was diagnosed with autism. That repetitive, obsessive behavior is a classic sign of autism, but as it turned out Brendan was merely imitating his brother, Marcus.   https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348714749833-72XWC0WE88G0CGFSNV01/PF_vanhouten_006.jpg The House Autism Built “The plain honest truth is that the plain everyday run-of-the-mill common person is given a child with special needs. At the end of the day, children with autism are not given to strong, special people. We are made strong and we are made special by having to raise that child with special needs and, yes, we are very often given more than we can handle,” Erin said. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1348714707745-Y1RGYQK9419UTVWEUA2G/PF_vanhouten_001.jpg The House Autism Built "When your child is born you have all of these dreams and expectations for what that child may or may not become, but with a diagnosis like autism, you have to create new dreams," Erin O'Loughlin said. http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/hearst-2015-mission-evictions daily 0.75 2015-08-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1440107755147-A3ER9FTN7IV6KPB67LQZ/static1.squarespace-1.jpg Hearst 2015: Mission Evictions - Hearst Journalism Awards 2015: Mission Evictions This series of images was awarded first place in the 2015 Hearst Photojournalism National Championships in San Francisco. The topic for the competition, which we had 36 hours to visualize, was: "The demographic of San Francisco has been changing the last couple of years and its impact is being felt by many long-term residents as real estate prices continues to sky-rocket and high tech businesses establish themselves in the city and the rest of the Bay Area. Activists are raising their voices and political agendas are forming. Who are the people, what are their stories and how is this new demographic challenging the way people live in this historic city of San Francisco?" Hector Osorio, a student at the City College of San Francisco, stands for a portrait in the Clarion Alley in the Mission neighborhood of San Francisco, Calif. on June 2, 2015. "Power in San Francisco is intense," Osorio said. The neighborhood has long been known for its art and culture, but many residents fear that, with the increase in evictions of long-time residents as well as the increase in the number of luxury housing options, the Mission will lose its identity. Many Clarion Alley murals address the gentrification and evictions in the Mission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1440107755147-A3ER9FTN7IV6KPB67LQZ/static1.squarespace-1.jpg Hearst 2015: Mission Evictions - Hearst Journalism Awards 2015: Mission Evictions This series of images was awarded first place in the 2015 Hearst Photojournalism National Championships in San Francisco. The topic for the competition, which we had 36 hours to visualize, was: "The demographic of San Francisco has been changing the last couple of years and its impact is being felt by many long-term residents as real estate prices continues to sky-rocket and high tech businesses establish themselves in the city and the rest of the Bay Area. Activists are raising their voices and political agendas are forming. Who are the people, what are their stories and how is this new demographic challenging the way people live in this historic city of San Francisco?" Hector Osorio, a student at the City College of San Francisco, stands for a portrait in the Clarion Alley in the Mission neighborhood of San Francisco, Calif. on June 2, 2015. "Power in San Francisco is intense," Osorio said. The neighborhood has long been known for its art and culture, but many residents fear that, with the increase in evictions of long-time residents as well as the increase in the number of luxury housing options, the Mission will lose its identity. Many Clarion Alley murals address the gentrification and evictions in the Mission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1440107755144-IBT52G3YI5762SZ3SOPF/static1.squarespace-2.jpg Hearst 2015: Mission Evictions Marti Sousanis puts her hands over her face as she tells a story in her home in San Francisco, Calif. on June 2, 2015. Eight years ago, Sousanis was evicted through the Ellis Act, which is a state law giving landlords the right to evict all of the tenants in a building in order to shut down their business, often with the intention of selling the building for a profit. After getting pushed out of the Mission neighborhood years ago, she now faces eviction for a second time. Her rent has increased by $650 since January. Before the increase, Sousanis, who has lived in the city for over fifty years, said she was already living solely on her social security checks. "Since the increase, I have maxed out two credit cards and am working on a third just paying for food and doctors," she said. "I don't qualify for food stamps, because my rent is too high. The irony! ...I had to go to a charity to ask for money for the first time in my life, just so I could avoid eviction for a little while longer. I am a part of what has made this city the creative, tolerant city that it is. You are taking me away from my home, my friends, my business, my everything." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1440107759434-2CVTQK2OMNO6D9EKJ6V1/static1.squarespace-3.jpg Hearst 2015: Mission Evictions Oscar Ramos, 17, stands for a portrait outside of City Hall in San Francisco, Calif. on June 2, 2015. Ramos was born and raised in the Mission neighborhood. "My family moved here from Puerto Rico 89 years ago," he said. "We have lived in the Mission for five generations. Our community is fading away, because people are getting evicted." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1440107760051-NJM77HA01RY6SEOLRMSF/static1.squarespace-4.jpg Hearst 2015: Mission Evictions Ryan Massa stands for a portrait at Craftsman and Wolves, a high-end bakery where he works in the Mission neighborhood of San Francisco, Calif., on June 3, 2015. "[The Mission] is my favorite place to hang out," Massa said. Expensive housing is not the only concern for long-time Mission residents. Luxury housing brings with it luxury stores and restaurants and pushes out the pre-existing culture, which several housing advocates, including Teresa Almaguer of the Poder organization, expressed concern about. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1440107766830-MYMUUZ1EUMTXDQJRC8TA/static1.squarespace-5.jpg Hearst 2015: Mission Evictions With an affordable housing application in hand, Jerry Chong Liangguo looks at the 400 Grove Street apartment complex in San Francisco, Calif. on June 2, 2015. Liangguo was told to fill out the application and take it to the apartment complex in order to put his family into a lottery for a chance at moving into one of a handful of affordable apartments in the building. However, when he arrived at the address to apply, the apartment building was completely under construction. When he realized that his family could not live here, he said, "I cannot believe this! How can this be?" He could not find anywhere to take the application. There were unfinished walls on the building, so it was clear to him that the apartment building would not be an option for a long time. When he called the apartment office, he could not understand what the automated menu options were, because he is still learning English. He explained that his family currently lives in a very small apartment in the Mission. He said that it smelled of mold and had rats, which makes him concerned for his son's health. "I immigrated here for a better life," Liangguo, who is an engineering director who immigrated with his family from China, said. "If I want to continue living here, it is so expensive. I am going to have to move soon." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1440107766402-GLAQ0ZH9QCMO2OBS2A4F/static1.squarespace-6.jpg Hearst 2015: Mission Evictions Spanky Lee stands for a portrait in the Mission neighborhood of San Francisco, Calif. on June 2, 2015. Originally from Memphis, Lee said that he works as a pimp to pay the rent on his apartment in the neighborhood. He pays $800 a month for a small rent-controlled apartment in the Mission. "I wouldn't trade my apartment for a place in heaven," he said. "I have lived here for years. I didn't like it at first, but this is the coolest spot in San Francisco. However, now they are starting to tear down the art." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1440107770515-1E5U6LVRVNRLN18U0GZB/static1.squarespace-7.jpg Hearst 2015: Mission Evictions Roberto Mendez Cruz stands for a portrait in the Mission neighborhood of San Francisco, Calif. on June 2, 2015. Cruz is a roofer and carpenter who often works in the Mission, but cannot afford to live there. "San Francisco is super expensive," he said. "I did not realize coming from Los Angeles." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1440107772979-XQ6Q7FQE3PMK3HEOSM10/static1.squarespace-8.jpg Hearst 2015: Mission Evictions Daniel Dupont watches as Roberto Solarzano gets a kiss from Dupont's dog Mandy while they sit on the stoop of the house Dupont used to live in with his wife in the Mission neighborhood of San Francisco, Calif. on June 3, 2015. Dupont and Solarzano are currently homeless. Dupont's wife died two months ago, leaving him to care for her dog, Mandy. Dupont said he loves Mandy as a way to keep loving his wife. Solarzano has lived in the Mission for 44 years. "Even if you have a job, it doesn't mean you can afford to live here," he said. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1440107778942-FMD6T8N8L2B6JX4AOMPX/static1.squarespace-9.jpg Hearst 2015: Mission Evictions A newlywed couple poses for a photographer while supporters of the Mission Moratorium gathered in City Hall in San Francisco, Calif. on June 2, 2015. Making a plea to his fellow San Francisco Board of Supervisors members, District 9's David Campos said, "How would you feel to hear from your constituents and hear how powerless they feel?" Only approximately nine percent of the 500 housing units built in the Mission district in the last five years have been affordable. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1440107779933-U2AAZBJ9NS2N3Z1IV0RN/static1.squarespace-10.jpg Hearst 2015: Mission Evictions At nearly midnight on June 2, 2015, Alondra Aragon, center, led a chant in City Hall in San Franciso, Calif. immediately after the Mission Moratorium was voted on. The final vote was 7-4 in favor of the moratorium, but the measure needed nine votes to be passed as an "interim emergency ordinance." Aragon and dozens of other Mission Moratorium supporters had filled the room for over eight hours that day. Of the supporters, San Francisco Board of Supervisors Member John Avalos said, "The rich fabric of the Mission is what is here today." Katy Tang, the supervisor from District 4, said, "This was incredibly moving for me, although at times emotional, very inspirational." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1440107782858-ZSC8INAT327OUC6GO7R3/static1.squarespace-11.jpg Hearst 2015: Mission Evictions Sylvia Smith poses for a portrait in her bedroom in her Mission neighborhood apartment in San Francisco, Calif. on June 2, 2015. Smith has lived in the apartment for 41 years, but suddenly in the last year her landlord, Anna Swain, has begun threatening her with eviction. Swain accused Smith of running a "1-800-SEX-TALK" operation and of selling drugs out of the apartment. Of the accusations, she said, "I don't even remember how to have sex!" These threats have been the source of a wrongful eviction lawsuit against Swain. Smith, 72, lives in the apartment with her grandson. "When I moved here, I paid $60 a month," Smith said. "Now she wants $5,000. I cry in my apartment all day. I do not cry because I am sad. I cry because I am so angry." Her apartment has exposed wires, nails, uneven floors and soiled carpets. "My doctor wants to put me in the hospital for two weeks, because I have panic attacks from the stress of this that he thinks could lead to a heart attack," she said. http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/hed-rather-play daily 0.75 2012-11-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1354077231782-AYEEUI3G1MZTSC4H3WCH/01-T_FINAL_Carolyn_Van_Houten_DSC_2977_1.jpg He'd Rather Play - He'd Rather Play A bead of sweat trickles down his cheek. Mud smears his jersey. Adrenaline rushes through his veins. Huge lights beam down as beacons in the dark, open Kentucky field. He hears the sound of cleats digging into muddy grass as his team shifts into position. "THREE-NINE! THREE-NINE! HUT!" Hunter Comer yells loudly from deep in his throat. The leather balls hits his hand, and the sound of boys turning to men, colliding into each other, echoes through the half-empty stadium. This is Friday night. This is what he lives for. "As quarterback, I do half the work with all the glory, but I don't like losing," Hunter says. "If I lose, we're doing it again until I win." He says he hates practice, doing something he knows how to do over and over. Hunter is starting quarterback and a captain for the Henderson County High School varsity football team. He has played football since the third grade and says he is used to having to balance school and practice. However, once he got his driver's license, his balancing act included delivering for Firedome Pizza three nights a week. Walking down the main hall of school, a voice behind him yells out, "Oh look! Its Hunter, the most popular kid in school!" That voice belongs to Henry Fowler, a sophomore linebacker on Hunter's team. Hunter laughed and said, "They are clowns. The whole team is like a big group of brothers--family really--and my linemen are like my personal bodyguards." "Hunter is the All-American quarterback," says James Wilson, a longtime Comer family friend. "He's just a great kid." "I grew up hearing about my dad as quarterback and I wanted to be just like him. Some of this really is for him." Hunter hopes to get a college scholarship to play football. His story was a part of Western Kentucky University's 2012 Mountain Workshops, which can be viewed here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1354077231782-AYEEUI3G1MZTSC4H3WCH/01-T_FINAL_Carolyn_Van_Houten_DSC_2977_1.jpg He'd Rather Play https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1354077270770-G73DNDNUFVMVCHTNCFZC/CVH_121016_2989.jpg He'd Rather Play Hunter Comer, 18, a senior at Henderson County High School, throws a ball to a teammate while practicing a play. "I hate practice," he says. "I hate failing with a passion, but I also hate doing something I am good at over and over and over again." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1354077331001-SO7L7E80T1XHB26FAAMV/03-T_FINAL_Carolyn_Van_Houten_DSC_3097.jpg He'd Rather Play Hunter Comer, 18, quarterback for the Henderson County High School Colonels football team, sinks into an ice bath. "You know those cartoon cats who appear to leap out right as they hit the water?" he says. "That's exactly how you feel. It takes your breath away. It's truly terrible." Ice baths hasten the healing process for sore muscles. Hunter practiced at 6 a.m. and took the ice bath after school outside the locker room at the Colonels' stadium. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1354077347898-0VMNOG769JI6NJD262QA/04-T_FINAL_Carolyn_Van_Houten_DSC_3131.jpg He'd Rather Play Hunter Colmer, 18, delivers pizza for Firedome Pizza on U.S. 41-North. "Work is easy — three nights a week, getting paid $7.25 an hour to drive around town and hang out in this little room," Hunter says. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1354077384305-582XZX6CVXNZUVB4CDDV/05-T_FINAL_Carolyn_Van_Houten_DSC_3192.jpg He'd Rather Play Alec Peters (right), Hunter Comer and Marshall Garret pump up their friend, Hank Daughtry, dressed as the Henderson County High School mascot the Colonel, before he runs across the court during the Homecoming Pep Rally. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1354081391174-5S9YMRB3KGGZGF8C1GQ6/Screen+shot+2012-11-28+at+12.42.33+AM.png He'd Rather Play Hunter Comer practices what his coach preaches before the Henderson County High School Colonels' homecoming game. "This team and Coach Clevenger are all about focus, focus, focus," Hunter says. "It's what gets the job done." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1354077393296-IZN7JV7S3V19WT4W1LRH/07-T_FINAL_Carolyn_Van_Houten_DSC_2035_02_1.jpg He'd Rather Play Quarterback Hunter Comer leads his the team to a 27-0 lead with 3:47 left in the first quarter of the 2012 homecoming game. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1354077397973-IS7FA9982NFNC944MBXD/08-T_FINAL_Carolyn_Van_Houten_DSC_3363.jpg He'd Rather Play Hunter Comer, No. 2, quarterback and captain of the Henderson County High School varsity football team, celebrates a touchdown with teammates Richard Carter (left), Cole Roberts, and Lane McHatton during in the second quarter of the 2012 homecomng game. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1354077650898-VN003YT8Z1SSLGL6LAUJ/09-T_FINAL_Carolyn_Van_Houten_DSC_3356.jpg He'd Rather Play Hunter Comer, quarterback of the Henderson County High School's varsity football team, was all smiles at halftime of the homecoming game with a 42-0 lead. http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/grassroots daily 0.75 2013-01-04 http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/recent daily 0.75 2015-09-07 http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/recent/2015/9/6/life-in-the-eagle-ford-as-oil-prices-plummet monthly 0.5 2015-09-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1441571853865-UPN0FFA870SH87TIZPKJ/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Life in the Eagle Ford as Oil Prices Plummet Devin Meurer, a former marine, lays in bed with his dog Rocco in his apartment in Pleasanton, Texas on August 6, 2015. Meurer is facing eviction after getting in a motorcycle accident and losing his third oil field job since December 2014. Rocco died a few weeks later. "Rocco was my savior," he said. "I am just trying to make it another day." “I’d rather go back to Iraq," he said. "At least I know who’s shooting at me over there. Here, every angle something is wrong. Everyone is shooting at you.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1441591745138-YI4DLCSI0SMBPG3G9JN6/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Life in the Eagle Ford as Oil Prices Plummet A pump jack stands next to a picnic area outside of LaGrange, Texas on February 19, 2015. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1441591791697-3WZ86XWXN3WLMJXVP0F5/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Life in the Eagle Ford as Oil Prices Plummet The Cotulla Vaqueros watch as Breyon Deltoro, 4, of the Little Vaqueros, races back to the finish line during the goat tagging relay for children six years and under at the LaSalle County Fair and Wild Hog Cookoff in Cotulla, Texas on March 13, 2015. Their fathers all worked in the oil fields. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1441591843747-IYWKE2213TGOCZ6ZONKG/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Life in the Eagle Ford as Oil Prices Plummet Joy Tipton and her son Evan Tipton laugh as they joke about how much Evan works at the Tipton family's roadside store The Little White House in Fowlerton, Texas on August 5, 2015. The store is along the highway between Tipton, Texas and Cotulla, Texas, and mainly serves hunters and oil field workers. Joy Tipton said that she hears fewer oil field trucks driving by everyday and that business is dwindling. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1441591884365-8OZAWC31IAYUGWHA5FCC/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Life in the Eagle Ford as Oil Prices Plummet Bianca Chaires, 8, holds her family's puppy Brisket as she walks down the road that winds through the Cotulla RV Park in Cotulla, Texas on March 7, 2015. The RV park serves the oil field workers and their companies who want to have a more affordable and home-like living arrangement. She lives in one of the trailers with her family. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1441591940694-4FQMD0MLV56Q17QKLU57/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Life in the Eagle Ford as Oil Prices Plummet The LaQuinta Inn and Suites looms over the backyard as children go on an Easter egg hunt at Jessie Galindo's house in Cotulla, Texas on April 5, 2015. Her husband, father, uncle and other members of her family all work in the oil field. "Jessie hates having the hotels around her house because now any random stranger can watch her and her kids play in the yard. There is no privacy in this town anymore," Galindo's sister JoAnna Gonzalez said. Towns like Cotulla that experienced great growth in the oil boom did not have zoning policies in place to deal with that growth. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1441591990119-UBSN84XJLJL5C4CA5UIL/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Life in the Eagle Ford as Oil Prices Plummet Harvey Howell, center, looks at data from the mud log with Hans Helland, right, and Frank Sitterle, left, in a trailer on a rig site in Hallettsville, Texas on May 22, 2015. The richest pockets of oil and gas in their drill site are indicated in the data on the mud log. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1441592088728-TQ3FLFKVWPALOT9U9OA9/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Life in the Eagle Ford as Oil Prices Plummet Hans Helland and Harvey Howell discuss the mud log while standing next to an oil rig in Hallettsville, Texas on May 22, 2015. "We're really like the '49ers but instead of using a shovel we are digging a hole to China. It is an adventure," Frank Sitterle, Helland and Harvey's business partner, said. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1441592164930-5G68511LHW8I50UXFK7C/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Life in the Eagle Ford as Oil Prices Plummet Trine Tellez, who has two sons who worked in the oil field, sits for a portrait in her bedroom in Cotulla, Texas on June 19, 2015. She said she worried when they would go to work. "Who would take care of me if something happened to you?" she would ask. One of her sons, Ysmael "Smiley" Tellez who has since left the oil field, lives with her now and helps to take care of her. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1441592220408-MP5PKFG55PNRFV7B5O1R/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Life in the Eagle Ford as Oil Prices Plummet Isaac Rodriguez, 10, looks back at his dad Eduardo Rodriguez as his brother Noe Rodriguez, 3, looks at his mom Jessica Rodriguez during a soccer match between Eduardo Rodriguez's friends from the oil field and El Charro Mexican Restaurant employees at the Cotulla RV Park in Cotulla, Texas on April 7, 2015. The restaurant employees won 3-0 in their weekly soccer match, which ended when the oil field group moved to Dilley, Texas for work. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1441592281598-CY126Z2PB18MVADAGUWC/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Life in the Eagle Ford as Oil Prices Plummet Ronnie Moore and Billy Davis eat lunch at JJ's Country Store in Cotulla, Texas on August 5, 2015. They both haul frac sand in the Eagle Ford Shale region. "Damn near overnight we started making half of what we used to make," Moore said. "All you hear is talk. Nobody knows what is going to happen. I want to retire soon, but my wife doesn't want me home all the time." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1441592378941-I0IZDYJF88N498OILO9F/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Life in the Eagle Ford as Oil Prices Plummet Melissa Rios holds her daughter Marley Rios, 5, at her mother's house during an Easter barbecue with Devin Meurer, a former Marine who has gone through three oil field jobs since December 2014, on April 5, 2015 in San Antonio, Texas. "We're broke. We had to figure out which car had more gas to get us here because we can't afford to fill the tank," Meurer said. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1441595170920-JYN31C8VOLODTNUWSPD3/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Life in the Eagle Ford as Oil Prices Plummet Llewellyn Oil Company Supply Store stands permanently closed down in Fowlerton, Texas on August 5, 2015. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1441592434537-2YS3QEG22752K0JDXOXY/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Life in the Eagle Ford as Oil Prices Plummet Before dawn Tino Gaona prays in his bedroom on the morning of his youngest daughter's 24th birthday, which he is missing, in Cotulla, Texas on August 6, 2015. "I miss a lot of birthdays and holidays, but that is how it goes," he said. He prays every morning before going to work in the oil field. After 20 years in the oil field, he considers it very dangerous work. Of God, he said, "He's the reason I am still here, so I pray for everybody on my crew." http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/recent/2015/7/17/rebuilding-after-the-flood-part-1 monthly 0.5 2015-07-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1437176148437-GWC1374IARLDQGPOYIYO/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Rebuilding After the Flood | Part 1 Glenda Bamberger looks out of the back door of her home in Blanco, Texas on Friday, May 29, 2015. Bamberger, who was born and raised in Blanco, said, "We put everything into buying this house and now I am not sure we will want to rebuild." The line on the wall to Glenda's left shows how high the water rose. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1437176182314-95N1XA8M6KB92TNAWG3I/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Rebuilding After the Flood | Part 1 Serenity Bamberger, 7, looks at the damage in her home in Blanco, Texas on Friday, May 29, 2015. Of the donations that have flooded in to help Serenity and her family, she said, "It is like Christmas." However, her mother Glenda Bamberger said that Serenity and her sister Cielo were very upset at first. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1437176206243-DJZF0F06WLN62BL0EMVZ/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Rebuilding After the Flood | Part 1 Glenda Bamberger puts her hands on her head as she waits for her husband Jarrell Bamberger to pick out wood at Home Depot in Bulverde, Texas for the construction of their new home on July 11, 2015. Their previous home was destroyed during the Blanco River flooding in May. During the more than 13 hours that they worked on their new home that day, they visited Home Depot twice. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1437176242843-MNR8QXJHW07PP7W9STS1/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Rebuilding After the Flood | Part 1 Glenda Bamberger, right, and her husband Jarrell Bamberger, left, widen holes dug in their yard in Blanco, Texas on July 11, 2015. Their home was destroyed in the floods that occurred in May along the Blanco River in Central Texas. They poured a concrete pillar in each of the twelve holes for the house they are building to replace the one that flooded. The house will be eight feet off the ground in the hope that it will not be affected by future floods on their property. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1437176267406-UOGCYH6S66T9YS1ZGI73/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Rebuilding After the Flood | Part 1 Serenity Bamberger, 7, falls from a rope swing behind her house into the Little Blanco River on July 11, 2015 in Blanco, Texas. Two months prior, the same river flooded their home destroying the majority of the family's belongings. Despite the toll the river has taken, Bertha Rivera, Bamberger's grandmother, said, "The river bed was dry for years, so now that the water is here I tell the girls to take advantage of it all that they can." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1437176304101-LP0YZFW3AFSCD5171QES/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Rebuilding After the Flood | Part 1 Glenda Bamberger, right, tosses a towel at Serenity Bamberger, 7, after Serenity finished swimming in the Little Blanco River behind their home in Blanco, Texas on July 1, 2015. A month and a half prior, the same river flooded their home destroying the majority of the family's belongings. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1437176337773-745IOPL4OM0PU7VGJOFQ/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Rebuilding After the Flood | Part 1 Jarrell Bamberger talks to his wife Glenda Bamberger about what they need to start building their home while their daughter Esmebella, 9 months, sits in their shopping cart at Home Depot in Bulverde, Texas on July 10, 2015. They began construction on their new home the next day. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1437176363363-KUVFYDW23NRL6EO4OQY1/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Rebuilding After the Flood | Part 1 Glenda Bamberger rubs her forehead while she looks at a receipt for the sand and rocks needed to make the cement for the pillars that will hold up their new house. The supplier only delivered a portion of the order and the Bambergers were concerned about whether they had enough to finish pouring all of the cement pillars that day. She and her husband Jarrell Bamberger drove to the sand and rock supplier to ask for the delivery of the rest of the order in Blanco, Texas on July 11, 2015. The supplier was closed when they arrived. Before her parents left to see the supplier, Cielo Bamberger, 10, said, "I always heard the saying 'cheap as dirt,' but this dirt ain't cheap." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1437176385081-SLCRXOI8SIOUNGJWYB5P/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Rebuilding After the Flood | Part 1 Cielo Bamberger, 10, and Esmebella Bamberger, 9 months, hang on their mother Glenda Bamberger while their sister Serenity Bamberger, 7, digs in the dirt outside of their RV on their property in Blanco, Texas on July 1, 2015. The family is living in the RV, which is parked in front of their flood-damaged home, while they build a new house on eight-foot pillars on the same property. The dog, known as Buddy or Bear, showed up on their property after the floods and has stayed since. Glenda said that she thinks he was carried far from his home in the floods, because none of their neighbors in the area have claimed him. http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/recent/2015/6/6/hearst-photojournalism-championship-2015 monthly 0.5 2015-06-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1433629895692-O4J69D382IDFXQS3J559/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Hearst Photojournalism Championship 2015 Hector Osorio, a student at the City College of San Francisco, stands for a portrait in the Clarion Alley in the Mission neighborhood of San Francisco, Calif. on June 2, 2015. "Power in San Francisco is intense," Osorio said. The neighborhood has long been known for its art and culture, but many residents fear that, with the increase in evictions of long-time residents as well as the increase in the number of luxury housing options, the Mission will lose its identity. Many Clarion Alley murals address the gentrification and evictions in the Mission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1433629926292-74V6UMVGA73SP0HNMU5I/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Hearst Photojournalism Championship 2015 Marti Sousanis puts her hands over her face as she tells a story in her home in San Francisco, Calif. on June 2, 2015. Eight years ago, Sousanis was evicted through the Ellis Act, which is a state law giving landlords the right to evict all of the tenants in a building in order to shut down their business, often with the intention of selling the building for a profit. After getting pushed out of the Mission neighborhood years ago, she now faces eviction for a second time. Her rent has increased by $650 since January. Before the increase, Sousanis, who has lived in the city for over fifty years, said she was already living solely on her social security checks. "Since the increase, I have maxed out two credit cards and am working on a third just paying for food and doctors," she said. "I don't qualify for food stamps, because my rent is too high. The irony! ...I had to go to a charity to ask for money for the first time in my life, just so I could avoid eviction for a little while longer. I am a part of what has made this city the creative, tolerant city that it is. You are taking me away from my home, my friends, my business, my everything." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1433629977681-Q91TTC3A68QT4F4C2I2B/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Hearst Photojournalism Championship 2015 Oscar Ramos, 17, stands for a portrait outside of City Hall in San Francisco, Calif. on June 2, 2015. Ramos was born and raised in the Mission neighborhood. "My family moved here from Puerto Rico 89 years ago," he said. "We have lived in the Mission for five generations. Our community is fading away, because people are getting evicted." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1433630031122-YKER0VVHNR3655PEHE6N/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Hearst Photojournalism Championship 2015 Ryan Massa stands for a portrait at Craftsman and Wolves, a high-end bakery where he works in the Mission neighborhood of San Francisco, Calif., on June 3, 2015. "[The Mission] is my favorite place to hang out," Massa said. Expensive housing is not the only concern for long-time Mission residents. Luxury housing brings with it luxury stores and restaurants and pushes out the pre-existing culture, which several housing advocates, including Teresa Almaguer of the Poder organization, expressed concern about. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1433630077477-5BMXHR74FXV66ZADARVF/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Hearst Photojournalism Championship 2015 With an affordable housing application in hand, Jerry Chong Liangguo looks at the 400 Grove Street apartment complex in San Francisco, Calif. on June 2, 2015. Liangguo was told to fill out the application and take it to the apartment complex in order to put his family into a lottery for a chance at moving into one of a handful of affordable apartments in the building. However, when he arrived at the address to apply, the apartment building was completely under construction. When he realized that his family could not live here, he said, "I cannot believe this! How can this be?" He could not find anywhere to take the application. There were unfinished walls on the building, so it was clear to him that the apartment building would not be an option for a long time. When he called the apartment office, he could not understand what the automated menu options were, because he is still learning English. He explained that his family currently lives in a very small apartment in the Mission. He said that it smelled of mold and had rats, which makes him concerned for his son's health. "I immigrated here for a better life," Liangguo, who is an engineering director who immigrated with his family from China, said. "If I want to continue living here, it is so expensive. I am going to have to move soon." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1433630103146-A1C5736V9ZNCWZ3CD127/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Hearst Photojournalism Championship 2015 Spanky Lee stands for a portrait in the Mission neighborhood of San Francisco, Calif. on June 2, 2015. Originally from Memphis, Lee said that he works as a pimp to pay the rent on his apartment in the neighborhood. He pays $800 a month for a small rent-controlled apartment in the Mission. "I wouldn't trade my apartment for a place in heaven," he said. "I have lived here for years. I didn't like it at first, but this is the coolest spot in San Francisco. However, now they are starting to tear down the art." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1433630118902-O7NEGX2G03L11DAUVEC0/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Hearst Photojournalism Championship 2015 Roberto Mendez Cruz stands for a portrait in the Mission neighborhood of San Francisco, Calif. on June 2, 2015. Cruz is a roofer and carpenter who often works in the Mission, but cannot afford to live there. "San Francisco is super expensive," he said. "I did not realize coming from Los Angeles." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1433630135537-G2A8EOT4KKW2DV8EUG3T/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Hearst Photojournalism Championship 2015 Daniel Dupont watches as Roberto Solarzano gets a kiss from Dupont's dog Mandy while they sit on the stoop of the house Dupont used to live in with his wife in the Mission neighborhood of San Francisco, Calif. on June 3, 2015. Dupont and Solarzano are currently homeless. Dupont's wife died two months ago, leaving him to care for her dog, Mandy. Dupont said he loves Mandy as a way to keep loving his wife. Solarzano has lived in the Mission for 44 years. "Even if you have a job, it doesn't mean you can afford to live here," he said. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1433630163431-QYVIWDNL0OFURTPTMUHG/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Hearst Photojournalism Championship 2015 Supporters of the Mission Moratorium gathered in City Hall in San Francisco, Calif. on June 2, 2015. Making a plea to his fellow San Francisco Board of Supervisors members, District 9's David Campos said, "How would you feel to hear from your constituents and hear how powerless they feel?" Only approximately nine percent of the 500 housing units built in the Mission district in the last five years have been affordable. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1433630188491-H6C39VB61S6VCXCS02GY/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Hearst Photojournalism Championship 2015 At nearly midnight on June 2, 2015, Alondra Aragon, center, led a chant in City Hall in San Franciso, Calif. immediately after the Mission Moratorium was voted on. The final vote was 7-4 in favor of the moratorium, but the measure needed nine votes to be passed as an "interim emergency ordinance." Aragon and dozens of other Mission Moratorium supporters had filled the room for over eight hours that day. Of the supporters, San Francisco Board of Supervisors Member John Avalos said, "The rich fabric of the Mission is what is here today." Katy Tang, the supervisor from District 4, said, "This was incredibly moving for me, although at times emotional, very inspirational." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1433630205525-DISGOV3R2CM7ZKWE5WGE/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Hearst Photojournalism Championship 2015 Sylvia Smith poses for a portrait in her bedroom in her Mission neighborhood apartment in San Francisco, Calif. on June 2, 2015. Smith has lived in the apartment for 41 years, but suddenly in the last year her landlord, Anna Swain, has begun threatening her with eviction. Swain accused Smith of running a "1-800-SEX-TALK" operation and of selling drugs out of the apartment. Of the accusations, she said, "I don't even remember how to have sex!" These threats have been the source of a wrongful eviction lawsuit against Swain. Smith, 72, lives in the apartment with her grandson. "When I moved here, I paid $60 a month," Smith said. "Now she wants $5,000. I cry in my apartment all day. I do not cry because I am sad. I cry because I am so angry." Her apartment has exposed wires, nails, uneven floors and soiled carpets. "My doctor wants to put me in the hospital for two weeks, because I have panic attacks from the stress of this that he thinks could lead to a heart attack," she said. http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/recent/2015/5/17/escaramuza monthly 0.5 2015-05-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1431891750584-WMAOFW4T0CFMM3R19H19/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Escaramuza Las Potrancas Escaramuza Las Potrancas practices their routine for the pre-state competition at El Rancho Unico in Atascosa, Texas on March 26, 2015. The team ended up third in the pre-state competition. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1431889901904-ZO0JRT8UYTIYSR1OQI9Y/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Escaramuza Las Potrancas Andrea Murillo rests her head on her sister Roxanna Murillo as Miriam Alejandra Montecillos and Jackie Ayala try to prevent Mora from eating the leaves on the tree branch above their heads. The team was waiting to perform in the "A Day in Old Mexico" Charreada at the San Antonio Charros Association in San Antonio, Texas on April 26, 2015. "I'm not nervous for today," team captain Kristy Escamilla, left, said. "I think that is because we had such a good practice." "But we can't be too confident," Madelyn Monique Montecillos replied. "We still have to ride well." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1431889951561-NP01E3A2X3W17N74WZRF/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Escaramuza Las Potrancas Roxanna Murillo wipes tears from her eyes as Coach Jimmy Ayala and her mother Angelica Murillo help her walk out of the ring during a clinic at La Herradura Ranch in San Antonio, Texas on February 28, 2015. "The girls put too much pressure on themselves and that can tend to hurt them, especially when they are having trouble with their horses," Ayala said. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1431890217247-0VK4FUJADLHQGUZMKVGF/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Escaramuza Las Potrancas The Escaramuza Las Potrancas team practices at Herradura in San Antonio, Texas on February 20, 2015. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1431890260776-I39M0AJNDOGWEJBH82LR/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Escaramuza Las Potrancas Miriam Alejandra Montecillos and Emely Ayala canter in formation during practice at La Herradura Ranch in San Antonio, Texas on March 7, 2015. "There is nothing else like escaramuza, so we know it is not forever, but we will do it as long as we can," Leticia Ozuna, mother of Montecillos and Ayala's teammate Caterina Ozuna, said. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1431890333939-WPKYO9OWH50A121AIHCO/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Escaramuza Las Potrancas Emely Ayala adjusts her sombrero while watching her teammates practice for pre-state at El Rancho Unico in Atascosa, Texas on March 26, 2015. After falling off during practice that Sunday, she became too scared to ride with the team. Jimmy Ayala, her father and the team's coach, did not want to push her to ride if she was not ready, so she stood by watching and helping her team from the ground. "When she told me she was scared, I wanted her to be 100 percent before riding again," Ayala said. "I wasn't going to risk not only my daughter, but also the team. If her nerves took over, someone else could have gotten hurt." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1431890361019-B3UT7LKT4ZTCG1949K11/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Escaramuza Las Potrancas Brenda Murillo kisses her horse Cazador while waiting to perform in the "A Day in Old Mexico" Charreada at the San Antonio Charros Association in San Antonio, Texas on April 26, 2015. Cazador was her grandfather's horse in Mexico and then was passed down to her uncle before she got him. "He is different with me," she said of Cazador. "Everyone used to say he was really mean and that I couldn't handle him, but when he is around me he is more soft hearted." "They've got the same attitude," Coach Jimmy Ayala said jokingly of the pair. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1431890381927-3H9XBYKJJVEYXDSZTFXG/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Escaramuza Las Potrancas Brenda Murillo hits the ground after she and her horse Cazador slipped and fell during a "punta," or slide stop, at Rancho San Miguel in Atascosa, Texas on March 26, 2015. This was Murillo's first time falling off, she said. Despite that, she got back on moments later and tried to do a punta again, this time with success. "When an escaramuza falls, they just dust off their dress and get right back on," Coach Jimmy Ayala said. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1431889924163-367ERTI4YO0MT2120NSM/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Escaramuza Las Potrancas Brenda Murillo adjusts her sombrero before the team practiced their routine in the pre-state arena at El Rancho Unico in Atascosa, Texas on March 26, 2015. Emely Ayala, a teammate, fell off the weekend before pre-state and was too scared to compete. Murillo filled her spot so that the team could compete. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1431890482548-GJUZWABWGZXCHG0Q0YUZ/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Escaramuza Las Potrancas Jackie Ayala and Kristy Escamilla do their hair in the bathroom of a gas station along I-35 on February 21, 2015. The girls were on their way to represent the team at Junta Estatal para Capitanas, or the State Meeting for Captains, in Temple, Texas. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1431890505666-9JT3JQ09989IFN6XHNAZ/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Escaramuza Las Potrancas Kristy Escamilla and Jackie Ayala listen to a song together during the drive to Temple, Texas to represent the team at Junta Estatal para Capitanas, or the State Meeting for Captains on February 21, 2015. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1431890775409-F8XL3PCG1IFAHWM7VPDC/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Escaramuza Las Potrancas Escaramuza Las Potrancas does a "giro", or a 360 degree spin, during their performance in the "A Day in Old Mexico" Charreada at the San Antonio Charros Association in San Antonio, Texas on April 26, 2015. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1431890949011-5K09PYAGC93MSHQYK14P/VanHouten_escaramuza_14.JPG Recent - Escaramuza Las Potrancas Emely Ayala, left, watches as her older sister Jackie Ayala spins in her escaramuza dress before performing in the "A Day in Old Mexico" Charreada at the San Antonio Charros Association in San Antonio, Texas on April 26, 2015. Each dress must be handmade with specific guidelines to maintain the cultural traditions of the sport as it has been for generations in Mexico. "I am following in my great grandfather's footsteps" Jackie Ayala said. "He was a charro in Coahuila, Mexico, so I want to continue the tradition." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1431892514734-22A07S6ROFVOJY4VA9M9/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Escaramuza Las Potrancas Escaramuza Las Potrancas warm up for their pre-state performance at El Rancho Unico in Atascosa, Texas on March 29, 2015. "I believe in y'all," Emely Ayala, 8, said to her team after warm-ups. "Whatever happens, just keep on going." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1431892643507-EP97V5Q9UBU19J4ZCIWN/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Escaramuza Las Potrancas Emely Ayala rests in the shade with her father Jimmy Ayala while waiting to perform in Pre-Estatal at El Rancho Unico in Atascosa, Texas on March 29, 2015. "It is hard to protect them in such a dangerous sport, but what takes away from the danger is hard work in practice," Ayala said. "This sport helped them get through when I got divorced from their mom nine years ago. It is what kept us so close." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1431893053562-K6THENBIAKKT23SHNIAT/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Escaramuza Las Potrancas Escaramuza Las Potrancas performs bareback in Native American dress in the "A Day in Old Mexico" Charreada at the San Antonio Charros Association in San Antonio, Texas on April 26, 2015. "They used to do it in the 1970s at San Antonio Charros Association," Kristy Escamilla, the team's captain, said. "People can see that we are good riders this way, because if we are riding bareback it shows we do not rely on the saddles ." Escamilla's mother stayed up three nights in a row making the outfits. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1431893082727-VKOL3TEGZPM8KAATICTB/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Escaramuza Las Potrancas Miriam Alejandra Montecillos brushes through a horse's tail before practice at El Rancho Unico in Atascosa, Texas on March 26, 2015. The girls are responsible for the care of the horses, even if the horses are not their own. The cleanliness and care of the horses is as important as the presentation of the girls' tradition tack and dress. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1431893181763-XFOZ02TRLM0KTXKH21RI/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Escaramuza Las Potrancas Caterina Ozuna and Miriam Alejandra Montecillos warm up before practicing their routine for Pre-Estatal at El Rancho Unico in Atascosa, Texas on March 26, 2015. "You feel the nerves the moment you go in," Ozuna said. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1431893261261-PCO7WMIF5VKQTBD15KEZ/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Escaramuza Las Potrancas Jackie Ayala hugs her horse Louis Vuitton after practice at El Rancho Unico in Atascosa, Texas on March 26, 2015. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1431893411325-2LY1QZ6IYEU70E8WOOET/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Escaramuza Las Potrancas Miriam Alejandra Montecillos, Yaretzi Peña and Andrea Murillo lean over for a group hug after practice at El Rancho Unico in Atascosa, Texas on March 26, 2015. Peña is from another team, Escaramuza Orgullo Mexicano. She used to be a part of Murillo and Montecillos' team and the girls remain friends. http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/recent/2015/3/9/first-job-first-month monthly 0.5 2015-03-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1425951682520-HZN8L38NMB40RCDXAQ1H/image-asset.jpeg Recent - First Job, First Month. Linelle and Vernon Sullivan kiss while Omar and Debra Muñoz hug after they were married during one of the free mass wedding ceremonies held annually on the steps of the Bexar County Courthouse on Valentine's Day, Saturday, February 14, 2014. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1425951735547-5C76BD9UD9UTGK2KCA42/image-asset.jpeg Recent - First Job, First Month. Twenty-five doves were released after one of the free mass wedding ceremonies held annually on the steps of the Bexar County Courthouse on Valentine's Day, Saturday, February 14, 2014. Over 30 couples were married during that ceremony. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1425953306269-2I61ZZZ45BVB3A1L7CDE/image-asset.jpeg Recent - First Job, First Month. Brian Joyce, left, hugs Ron Brown of Haven for Hope in San Antonio, TX on Thursday, January 29, 2015 during the city's annual homeless count. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1425951801929-NJK7S81O5DELWOE1YDPU/image-asset.jpeg Recent - First Job, First Month. Cash Fretwell practices roping on his friend Brice Bauer's feet at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo in San Antonio, TX on Wednesday, February 18, 2015. They both are 14 and from Pleasanton, TX. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1425951824982-6Q6MUVBG1QEXNGLWLR2I/image-asset.jpeg Recent - First Job, First Month. A herd of Longhorns walks down Houston St. during San Antonio Stock Show's annual Western Heritage Parade and Cattle Drive in downtown San Antonio, TX on Saturday, February 7, 2015. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1425951846681-YV1GG7EY9JBA33LRCC9C/image-asset.jpeg Recent - First Job, First Month. Brahman cattle lay down together in a barn at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo in San Antonio, TX on Wednesday, February 18, 2015. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1425951868689-E1C9L113IGGHYTFTIVXY/image-asset.jpeg Recent - First Job, First Month. Riders who were contracted to help steer the herd of Longhorns down Houston St. prepare to begin the San Antonio Stock Show's annual Western Heritage Parade in downtown San Antonio, TX on Saturday, February 7, 2015. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1425951892783-PT42XE2BIISV0L1K51FI/image-asset.jpeg Recent - First Job, First Month. Several people dance to a live country music performance by the Sunset Riders at the Cowboy Dance Hall in San Antonio, TX on Friday, January 30, 2015 after the annual Cowboy Breakfast. http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/recent/2015/1/14/recent-work-fall-2014-edition monthly 0.5 2015-01-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1421260202944-F7P6SGI4VJJH2YOPM08F/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Recent Work | Fall 2014 Edition JoAnn Thomas stands for a portrait in front of her Civil-War-era home in Salisbury, NC on Tuesday, October 7, 2014. Her husband, Ron, grew up in this house. She has lived on Leonard Rd. with her husband for 50 years. They both have had consistent health problems, including tumors, cancer, and kidney failure. Approximately 70 instances of cancer have been recorded along Leonard Rd. and the land surrounding Duke Energy’s Buck Steam Station. Photographed for Al Jazeera America. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1421260802696-TYHFQIC54TWD2LM06UYE/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Recent Work | Fall 2014 Edition Jacquelyn Nance, left, sophomore, Taikasha Quattlebaum, freshman, and Emily Grimes, sophomore, rent seat backs to benefit the Air Force ROTC during the East Carolina game against Connecticut in Greenville, NC on Thursday, October 23, 2014. Photographed for The New York Times. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1421260899846-VP6KO8AQC7U2GTC0OP0A/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Recent Work | Fall 2014 Edition John Dee Holeman performs at The Pit Authentic Barbecue in Durham, NC on September 18, 2014. "A lot of our greatest artists live in poverty, earning $7,000-10,000 a year," Tim Duffy, Music Maker Relief Foundation founder and executive director, said. Photographed for Al Jazeera America. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1421261481156-MBRZUXGD3ZVUN0UR31O1/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Recent Work | Fall 2014 Edition Children in the YMCA Summer Camp play in the spray of a fire hose outside of Ridgeland Elementary School on Wednesday, July 30, 2014. The Ridgeland Fire Department came to the school to teach the children about fire safety. This was the children's reward for getting all of the questions correct on the verbal fire safety quiz. Photographed for Al Jazeera America. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1421260998299-QKDT8TUM2CHNS55XA6XG/141121_VanHouten_AMEX_084.jpg Recent - Recent Work | Fall 2014 Edition Victor Lytvinenko poses for a portrait in Raleigh Denim, the hand-made denim company he founded with his wife, in Raleigh, NC. Photographed for American Express OPENForum. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1421262276685-LPEEQC80D96MXRQHRH4O/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Recent Work | Fall 2014 Edition Joshua Seitter, 12, and Whiskey Lullaby at the North Carolina State Fair on October 25, 2013. This image is a part of a portrait series called "Fair Kids." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1421261400108-68PU2AMAZVZKXOKN2STM/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Recent Work | Fall 2014 Edition De'Juanna Bethea, 15, sits for a portrait outside of Lil Bill's convenience store in Dillon, S.C. on Sunday, July 20, 2014. She is originally from Dillon, but now goes to Lumberton High School, which is just north of the state line into North Carolina, because she said that the education is much better there. Photographed for Al Jazeera America. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1421261626213-5NH4V2XQERLGR45XRCNQ/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Recent Work | Fall 2014 Edition Louis Van Houten, my grandfather, stands for a portrait in front of his antique collection in Sherwood Forest, MD. The antiques have been arranged that way on the wall for 24 years. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1421261316789-3H3NKXKIOZ6K9OU5K54H/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Recent Work | Fall 2014 Edition An abandoned school desk sits in a classroom inside the old Ridgeland Middle School building in Ridgeland, S.C. on Wednesday, July 30, 2014. Up until the desegregation of schools, the building only housed classes for the minority students in the county. Now the district is planning on restoring the building to use for office space and community programs. Photographed for Al Jazeera America. http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/recent/2014/11/27/thankful monthly 0.5 2014-11-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1417120377686-A4AM8CW9QUGEHYCESQGC/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Thankful. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1417120416554-67ICOEV2XO21RF4ZIBTK/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Thankful. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1417120496063-ICBV4KHMNQVS8ZRW5J4D/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Thankful. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1417120473119-CW4XMPT7F3YWC1NKU2YV/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Thankful. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1417120556434-1ZRI838SS3FX9V9Q1BYX/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Thankful. http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/recent/2014/6/16/humming-a-new-tune monthly 0.5 2014-07-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1406513544108-9DAT0GBCMVWQ3ZJAYAJF/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Humming a New Tune Casey Thayer, 22, grew up on a farm with her parents and two siblings surrounded by animals and fields. When she was young, Casey was diagnosed with autism. Casey nuzzled up to Janice next to a horse pasture on their farm in Birdseye on April 27. "I am losing a huge part of my life," Janice said. A few days later, Casey moved out. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1406513629057-Q1JGGNWVO9Y23JQHSV5T/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Humming a New Tune Janice lit twenty-two candles on an ice cream cake for Casey's birthday on April 27 at their home in Birdseye. Casey's 22nd birthday was a turning point for the Thayer family and their decision to move Casey into a home in Jasper, because up until this birthday Casey attended Forest Park while her parents went to work. However, in order to continue taking care of Casey at home after she could no longer attend school, either Doug or Janice would have had to leave their job, a job which supported their family. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1406513712178-ZU85GDEUK9LIKIPHH9WQ/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Humming a New Tune Casey rode Chief at Freedom Reins Therapeutic Riding Program in Jasper on April 30. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1406513833082-LIHHPDX7ETPDJF2DBN6U/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Humming a New Tune Casey attended her final high school prom with her mother Janice at Forest Park on April 26. Although many people with autism are overwhelmed by loud noise and wild lights, Casey loved to dance with her mother to the music and watch her classmates interact. Her brother Emerson, who attends Forest Park, was also there with a group of his friends. Janice said, "I honestly think she felt like Cinderella or Belle that day and if it takes me going with her to make that happen, it is worth it to me." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1406513876806-TU4P8JFWKFVNRT9N3TFC/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Humming a New Tune People with autism often have habits that help release their feelings of being overwhelmed or frustrated. For Casey that habit is shredding. Casey shredded a piece of plastic while walking along her family's driveway in Birdseye on April 27. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1406514207552-W6V65DD934S09LYNFCCY/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Humming a New Tune Janice kissed Casey before saying "Goodnight" on Casey's last night sleeping at home. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1406514233030-XG09PS9HWHIQDX1VJ2BU/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Humming a New Tune Doug embraced Janice as Casey's school bus pulled away from their driveway for the last time on May 1. Casey did not come home from school that day, but was picked up by her new caretakers and taken to her new home in Jasper. "I wonder if she realizes it is the last time," Doug said. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1406514454724-HLOFADSNW8HZ8V1G4943/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Humming a New Tune Casey looked at her new home in Jasper from the passenger seat of Janice's car on June 14. Casey now resides with two other residents under 24-hour care. However, Janice often picks her up on the weekends for the day to go to church or visit the rest of the family. This time she was picking up Casey so that they could spend Father's Day weekend with Doug. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1406514318343-39L428BBMYGWITEVIAED/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Humming a New Tune After arriving at her new home in Jasper for the first time without her parents on May 1, Casey went to her room and stayed laying in the same position for hours on her unmade bed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1406514518841-5H40P24CD2EXZNW80P3T/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Humming a New Tune Casey always loved to place both hands on Doug's beard as a tactile stimulant, a common desire for people with autism; however, on this night, the first night in her new home, she did not want to make eye contact or fully engage with her dad, because she knew they were leaving her. That did not stop her from wanting to feel his beard though. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1406514552124-PWDQRMXKZ8GSB8FL3QF1/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Humming a New Tune Casey stood in the middle of her new bedroom in Jasper silently looking at the belongings her parents had brought from her old home. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1406514625134-2ZWXHU50945AEOZAKA5E/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Humming a New Tune Casey spends hours every day watching movies to pass the time. She loves Disney and Pixar movies best. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1406514995889-9GPCI07GAGOUB48TR3MM/2014_BookNYC_CVH026.JPG Recent - Humming a New Tune Once Casey discovered that the bench in the backyard of her Jasper home could swing, she stayed there quietly by herself until dinner time on June 22. The feeling of swinging is often comforting for people with autism, including Casey. http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/recent/2014/6/16/hearstmultimedia monthly 0.5 2014-06-16 http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/recent/2014/3/14/basketball-a-dubois-county-tradition monthly 0.5 2014-03-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1394814390413-1Y43PLZDHSSPDBWQ3DZW/vanhouten_nyt_01.JPG Recent - Basketball: A Dubois County Tradition Southridge's varsity boys basketball team huddled after the game in Huntingburg on Tuesday. Southridge defeated Washington 61-49. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1394814506421-RTLGZDOH37OS71VM9FKI/vanhouten_nyt_02.JPG Recent - Basketball: A Dubois County Tradition The crowd and Southridge's Lady Raiders stood for the national anthem before the game Thursday. Southridge defeated South Spencer 51-20 at Memorial Gym in Huntingburg. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1394814539352-PYPXKQ2BY70VZ2JQSXKG/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Basketball: A Dubois County Tradition Southridge's Evan Julian listened to Varsity Coach Jeremy Rauch during halftime of the game in Huntingburg on Tuesday. Southridge defeated Washington 61-49. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1394814579090-6E17A4OLT3H0AITD2DIG/vanhouten_nyt_04.JPG Recent - Basketball: A Dubois County Tradition Forest Park's varsity cheerleading squad stretched before the game against Mater Dei in the IHSAA Class 2A sectional tournament in Boonville on Friday. The Rangers lost 68-57. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1394814629139-LK9N66CDW99NI58HPI4L/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Basketball: A Dubois County Tradition Southridge senior Ethan Schwoeppe, bottom, Luke Stetter, junior, Drew Dearing, freshman, and Braden Harding, freshman, stacked on top of each other and cheered with the rest of the student section during halftime of their game against Washington in the IHSAA Class 3A sectional tournament in Huntingburg on Wednesday. The Raiders lost 41-35. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1394815531532-Q0QAMHXTFHQ0CMBS28IA/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Basketball: A Dubois County Tradition Morgan Uebelhor, left, watched as Shelby Olinger made a frustrated face at Tabbi Bolt while Payton Prechtel practiced before the game on Thursday in Lincoln City. Heritage Hills defeated Forest Park 68-59 in overtime. All are Forest Park varsity cheerleaders. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1394815566910-0TCGROK2PVA22TOIGY8Z/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Basketball: A Dubois County Tradition The Jeeps' Tyler Haas, left, Jacob Gress and Tristan Linne made a shooting motion from the bench just seconds before winning the IHSAA Class 1A sectional tournament against Tecumseh in Lynnville on Saturday. Northeast Dubois won 55-45. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1394815602019-369AS9SOCG8UUSYOHVMI/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Basketball: A Dubois County Tradition Jasper's boys basketball team beat on the lockers and cheered after their game against Mitchell in the IHSAA Class 3A sectional tournament in Huntingburg on Tuesday. The Wildcats defeated the Bluejackets 66-50. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1394815645976-T7UPX9QLXRMACX7RSBUG/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Basketball: A Dubois County Tradition The Southridge Raiders hoisted their trophy up after winning the Class 3A girls basketball sectional championship at Alice Arena in Vincennes on Saturday. Southridge defeated Vincennes 46-41. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1394815708124-KJOH7DTX87V1ON69ZVIA/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Basketball: A Dubois County Tradition Southridge's Aubrey Main fought for the ball after Madison's Macky Hecox intercepted it during the IHSAA girls basketball regional championship in Jasper on Saturday. Madison defeated Southridge 66-51. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1394815786041-EGT2J47U44J4T8WJBOKC/image-asset.jpeg Recent - Basketball: A Dubois County Tradition Southridge's Taylor Neukam, left, walked into the locker room with her team after the game Thursday. Southridge beat South Spencer 51-20 at Memorial Gym in Huntingburg. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1394815822479-WDJ0DL71O1M2OO0X6678/vanhouten_nyt_12.JPG Recent - Basketball: A Dubois County Tradition Aubrey Main hugged Paxton Combs in the locker room after the IHSAA girls basketball regional championship in Jasper on Saturday. Madison defeated Southridge 66-51. http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/recent/2013/12/2/wenx6pix5kjetx726lq3d0527npgb1 monthly 0.5 2013-12-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1386030328212-3655OTYYVXZOHB462EJ0/CVH_20131113_MaryHarris_2544.jpg Recent - Stories and Projects from Tampa Nevaeh Watson, 5, covers her face during a tantrum in the backseat of her grandmother's car on the way to pick up her brother, Kyle Bradshaw, 14, from school in Tampa. Nevaeh and Kyle's grandmother, Mary Harris, has taken custody of her two grandchildren, because her daughter, Nicole Harris, was incarcerated the week Nevaeh was born. I have been following their story for about three months and will continue to document it through Nicole's release from prison in December. This has been my biggest project and focus during my internship here, so I am greatly looking forward to seeing it come together in the next month. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1386016440441-0J89BIJ6SA6324S2W85P/TP_376448_VANH_3_hopes.JPG Recent - Stories and Projects from Tampa Deborah Barr, 56, sits for a portrait after service at the Israel Bethel P.B. Church in Tampa on Sunday, November 17, 2013. Barr, who is unable to read, carries a bible in her purse and is hoping to one day be able to read it. Her story is a part of the Holiday Hopes series in which the Tampa Bay Times features the stories of those in need during the holiday season. Readers are encouraged to reach out to the subjects of these stories with support and assistance.   The video, gallery, and story can be found here: http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/woman-yearns-for-a-simple-holiday-wish-to-learn-to-read-her-bible/2154825   https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1386016559061-5LWGAA30I9RGJAK5GI7J/DSC_8276bw.JPG Recent - Stories and Projects from Tampa Rashida Strober poses for a portrait in the Tampa Bay Times studio in St. Petersburg. Rashida had a rough past, including homelessness and rape, but always dreamed of becoming an actress. Our story followed her as she tried to fill a 700 person theatre that she rented out with her own money in order to perform a play that she wrote herself. Her play, "A Dark-Skinned Woman's Revenge," analyzes and criticizes the various relationships that black men have with black women--many of them modeled on her own relationships. She played all five main characters herself, but the question remained: would she fill that theatre?   The gallery and story can be found here: http://www.tampabay.com/features/humaninterest/woman-acts-on-her-dream-but-can-she-fill-a-theater/2150126   https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1386016629007-13YQO4R45YPW7M1H4U22/TP_375728_VANH_5_brnjtdoody102713.JPG Recent - Stories and Projects from Tampa Chris Ott stretches and massages her son JT Doody's hand in their home in Riverview on Thursday, October 24, 2013. JT was shot three times in the leg while serving as a Marine in Iraq in March of 2007. During his recovery, he suffered a strep infection in his aorta, which led to brain damage. Now a paraplegic, JT relies on his mother and caretakers to get through his days. Because of JT's condition, he has difficulty controlling the way his hands clamp shut, so Chris tries to relieve the cramps and pain in his hands every night before JT goes to sleep.   The video, gallery, and story can be found here: http://www.tampabay.com/news/military/veterans/with-mother-at-his-side-a-wounded-veteran-fights-to-stay-positive/2149205 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1386016718016-6VVC3651724EO75QNBQM/TP_375793_VANH_1_HILLSFAIR102013.JPG Recent - Stories and Projects from Tampa Carlie Braglin, 8, left, looks back at her fellow competitors before heading out the door to compete in the 6-8 years division of the Harvest Pageant for Babies and Children at the 20th annual Hillsborough County Fair in Brandon on Sunday, October 20, 2013. Meanwhile, Isabelle Murphy, 5, right, checks her make-up and straightens her dress in the mirror prior to competing in the 4-5 years division. The children were divided into groups by age and gender for the competition. Each child, often with the help of his or her mother or father, walked up on the stage to be judged. Many of the girls shyly waved and blew kisses to the crowd. The beauty pageant cost up to $70 to register for all of the events, which included "most photogenic," "prettiest eyes," "best smile," and "best attire." The judging was based on facial beauty, overall appearance, and personality on stage, but every entrant received a participation award.   http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/recent/2013/10/28/american-beauty monthly 0.5 2013-10-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1383011828461-T1A8SO9Q0DZM8XNERQ0U/Screen+Shot+2013-10-28+at+9.01.22+PM.png Recent - American Beauty http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/recent/2013/9/9/new-places-new-friends monthly 0.5 2013-09-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1378702846285-UTSJ92Q7LE0E1Z592VRW/130908_streetbasketball_147.jpg Recent - New Places, New Friends https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1378702551350-GVEZE3KYBPJNBECLOAEP/130908_streetbasketball_087.jpg Recent - New Places, New Friends http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/recent/2013/8/16/endings-and-beginnings monthly 0.5 2013-08-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1377568542134-TECQA571QBM8PVVO6HY5/ct-met-Bud-Billiken-Parade_095.JPG Recent - Endings and Beginnings The Extreme Rage All Stars cheerleading team, which is from Milwaukee, WI and consists of girls from four to 18 years, practices before joining the parade route at the Bud Billiken Parade, the oldest and largest African-American parade in the United States, in Chicago on Saturday, August 10, 2013. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1377568629220-ZWD7F3MAXC2UGRVITL32/12thstreetbeachbw.jpg Recent - Endings and Beginnings Children play at 12th St. Beach in Chicago on August 13, 2013 after high levels of e. coli and rip tides forced people out of the water. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1377568892875-TJUQOM2WQQ8FYFCTTHTA/Pitchfork_4224.JPG Recent - Endings and Beginnings Oliver Dennison, 5, aims his water gun at Steven McDonough at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago's Union Park on Saturday, July 20, 2013. Oliver was hesitant, because he said, "My parents told me not to spray people in the face." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1377569030812-Y01H0JIWBE4LCB5D3BYH/SpecialOlympics_3663.JPG Recent - Endings and Beginnings Members of the Bessemer Bears team gather after winning their game at the 45th Anniversary of the Chicago Special Olympics held in Grant Park on Thursday, July 18, 2013. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1377568968671-NYP0T783WUHGABQETF6B/policeshootingdogs_001.JPG Recent - Endings and Beginnings Al and Barbara Phillip's miniature bull terrier Colonel sits in their Chicago home on Friday, July 26, 2013. Colonel was just a few months old when he was shot by a Chicago Police officer as he escaped the Phillip's front gate last December. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1377572161760-6R3HJPCSRYW8ES80F9EB/76980694.jpg Recent - Endings and Beginnings The story of a rape victim who discovered that police had never investigated her case, which was one of over fifty unsolved rape cases in that district: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-08-11/news/ct-met-rape-dna-kits-20130811_1_cook-county-sheriff-kits-victim https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1377569561306-J8P3GSLQZ905AP9PATG9/lockedin_1003.JPG Recent - Endings and Beginnings https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1377569785512-HA1GIL5M9WEUZXZOP762/lockedin_1001.JPG Recent - Endings and Beginnings https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1377570028697-BKWNO1CJRFULCCY65UFC/lockedin_435.JPG Recent - Endings and Beginnings https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1377569860691-RKCXYE6RNPVG0MT5OVUL/lockedin_436.JPG Recent - Endings and Beginnings https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1377570126864-UVGDMCM247NW5R40UO8A/D56U3004.JPG Recent - Endings and Beginnings https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1377570036375-1W8QSMWBTQO5KYTKI3XU/lockedin_434.JPG Recent - Endings and Beginnings http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/recent/2013/8/7/exonerated-learning-to-live-again monthly 0.5 2014-01-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1375858089835-HKQFM0YP8SUFAR39FHLX/20130628_DanielTaylor_001.JPG Recent - Exonerated: Learning to Live Again. Daniel Taylor, right, shares a quiet moment with his brother, David while he eats his first meal out of prison at Jodie's Ol' Farmhouse Cafe & Bakery in Mernard, Ill. on Friday June 28, 2013. Daniel was wrongly convicted of murder nearly 20 years ago. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1375858144572-XZLQ1C14YXIBRDL4E6GG/20130628_DanielTaylor_004.JPG Recent - Exonerated: Learning to Live Again. Just hours after his release, Daniel walks with his brother, David, out of Jodie's Ol' Farmhouse Cafe & Bakery in Mernard, Ill. on Friday June 28, 2013. They were heading home to David's house in Chicago, where Daniel will live until he gets his own place. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1375858298422-8JLE65WVRB1QIBUABWPB/20130704_DanielTaylor_012.JPG Recent - Exonerated: Learning to Live Again. Daniel Taylor, center, watches his nieces and nephews play in front of his Aunt Marie's house on Thursday, July 4, 2013. Nearly all of his nieces and nephews were born while he was incarcerated. The Fourth of July was the first time that he met many of them and he said that the experience was overwhelming. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1375858392819-1VZDZMP4EE9Q8DRYKQM4/20130704_DanielTaylor_009.JPG Recent - Exonerated: Learning to Live Again. Daniel Taylor sits staring past the television in his Aunt Marie's home while his family watches a show about convicted murderers on Thursday, July 4, 2013. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1375858473753-WBB7GL1AEP7EP97GYBL8/20130704_DanielTaylor_014.JPG Recent - Exonerated: Learning to Live Again. One of Daniel's many nieces, Kay-Kay Davis, 2, looks up at him as he passes into his Aunt Marie's house on Thursday, July 4, 2013. She was born while Daniel was incarcerated, so she does not know that he is her uncle. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1375858566646-5ZHOWSGWN8LYZB2SFLNX/20130708_DanielTaylor_005.JPG Recent - Exonerated: Learning to Live Again. Daniel was lost in thought as David smoked a cigarette on his front porch on Monday, July 8, 2013. There has been a lot of violence and drug-related activity in their area, so Daniel has found a way for the two of them to move to Evanston with David's two-year-old daughter, Danielle. Danielle is named for Daniel and the two of them have become quite close since Daniel came home. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1375858651399-QULTJBRXTTQTEZJQGTWV/20130708_DanielTaylor_006.JPG Recent - Exonerated: Learning to Live Again. Daniel carries Danielle, his niece, inside David's house on Monday, July 8, 2013. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1375858732175-BJN82MM2ISER09UT2NG9/20130714_DanielTaylor_015.JPG Recent - Exonerated: Learning to Live Again. Lee Williams, Jr., left, sits quietly with his brother Daniel, right, after meeting for the first time in their lives. Before Daniel got out of prison, Daniel did not know that he had another brother. He said, "It felt good. It was a great moment in life." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1375858893660-IY07VELUW47NK2DUCIZA/20130715_DanielTaylor_017.JPG Recent - Exonerated: Learning to Live Again. Daniel and David take in their new apartment in Evanston before signing the lease. An anonymous benefactor is paying their rent for six months in order to help them move out of the dangerous South Side neighborhood that they are currently living in with Danielle, David's daughter. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1375859025646-JEH2N3QXAGU01VEMYM2B/20130731_DanielTaylor_324A.JPG Recent - Exonerated: Learning to Live Again. Daniel Taylor kisses his niece, Danielle, who is named after Daniel, after awaking her in their new apartment in Evanston, IL on Wednesday, July 31, 2013. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1375859110313-BX1F96OVQY58A0ZJ28NZ/20130722_DanielTaylor_025.JPG Recent - Exonerated: Learning to Live Again. After moving donated furniture into his new apartment, Daniel takes a moment to catch his breath. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1375883731133-UE2N633M2G2767KYXO3Y/photo%25201.JPG Recent - Exonerated: Learning to Live Again. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1375883759391-4PMDEYHENHBWHLCQUV4O/photo%25202.JPG Recent - Exonerated: Learning to Live Again. http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/recent/2013/6/21/autism-yoga monthly 0.5 2013-06-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1371871585766-TE0VPBA9A9OEJLMHW2ZJ/autismyoga_1301.JPG Recent - Autism + Yoga https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1371871612910-UGGVPMZQBHJ4W3TK5QZP/autismyoga_1527.JPG Recent - Autism + Yoga https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1371871663114-6T59X7VYW3UVHKIU4C5X/autismyoga_1382.JPG Recent - Autism + Yoga https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1371871692733-BM5KYMDXJ7HTIG6UD565/autismyoga_1647.JPG Recent - Autism + Yoga https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1371871746991-HUZFHJ1YR24VRCLWUKU2/autismyoga_1316.JPG Recent - Autism + Yoga https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1371871764272-KBKT26U384LTE319YIN5/autismyoga_1240.JPG Recent - Autism + Yoga http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/recent/2013/6/14/ag2uypb76hbcrcrnaqxm58wmk65vlr monthly 0.5 2013-06-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1371261756843-QGU9NEJU2ZI589LEJA5S/Immigrant_0117c.jpg Recent - Settling In. Judy Elisapana loves on her two-year-old daughter, Rachel. Kenneth Elisapana came to the U.S. from Sudan with his wife, Judy, who is from Kenya. They reach out to new Sudanese immigrants, trying to give them resources, help them find employment, and welcome them into the Sudanese community in Oak Park. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1371262103783-7OLI6KBRJYBT2XBGBQXA/autismcomp_0143.JPG Recent - Settling In. Jacob Ciupe, a nine-year-old with high-functioning autism, plays a balloon game with his classmates at the Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center on Thursday, June 13, 2013. The classroom uses a computer program that helps children with autism to learn social skills. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1371262189768-48LTYP3UJKMVQTZC6SVW/kellysoccer_0018.JPG Recent - Settling In. Jennifer Medina, left, and Marbella Rodriquez play in the rain behind their coach, Stan Mietus, during practice in front of the Kelly High School in Chicago on Tuesday, June 11, 2013. The Kelly High School girls varsity soccer team is almost entirely first-generation Hispanic Americans. Many of the girls struggle to convince their parents to allow them to play soccer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1371262170174-NW08GDGRZQTZM7OM3F2W/kellysoccer_0006.JPG Recent - Settling In. The Kelly High School girls varsity soccer team gathered before practice across from the Chicago school on Tuesday, June 11, 2013. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1371262175759-83ON07WA1U0V12O630CW/kellysoccer_0010.JPG Recent - Settling In. Head Coach Stan Mietus looks up at the stormy sky as the girls chant during practice in front of the Kelly High School in Chicago on Tuesday, June 11, 2013. They were counting the number of seconds after a thunder clap to see if there was going to be lightning since they did not want practice to end. The Kelly High School girls varsity soccer team is almost entirely first-generation Hispanic Americans. Many of the girls struggle to convince their parents to allow them to play soccer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1371262199565-2VFOPYGTD2ZQ5NIG9ZOJ/kellysoccer_0012.JPG Recent - Settling In. Cynthia Lucio, a junior, holds an umbrella out over Edith Garcia and Ana Flores' heads during practice in front of the Kelly High School in Chicago on Tuesday, June 11, 2013. The Kelly High School girls varsity soccer team is almost entirely first-generation Hispanic Americans. Many of the girls struggle to convince their parents to allow them to play soccer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1371262182352-2HSH7AYHEZC0ASCO2E7O/kellysoccer_0011.JPG Recent - Settling In. Edith Garcia, a sophomore, spikes Head Coach Stan Mietus' hair after a rainstorm during practice in front of the Kelly High School in Chicago on Tuesday, June 11, 2013. The Kelly High School girls varsity soccer team is almost entirely first-generation Hispanic Americans. Many of the girls struggle to convince their parents to allow them to play soccer. http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/recent/2013/5/26/beginnings-and-irrelevance monthly 0.5 2013-05-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1369631918223-E8O1DF5FDMH6D1AMN4L7/Screen+shot+2013-05-27+at+12.19.38+AM.png Recent - Beginnings and Growth. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1369626641988-AQN0KAKJLMWW6VTZZ469/76062817.jpg Recent - Beginnings and Growth. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1369541932817-ZCBVTWS2R5PCGWR5365K/76052682.jpg Recent - Beginnings and Growth. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1369541942347-WFX3U6V8O8CQRGHG62JT/76062798.jpg Recent - Beginnings and Growth. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1369542006301-TKP4LEMMSWTORVEGHDS7/76052657.jpg Recent - Beginnings and Growth. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1369542008642-CY2HY7EWWBR5SYBFY5NA/76062819.jpg Recent - Beginnings and Growth. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1369541945291-35QGI6FJ6W1WAHXTBO7Z/76062806.jpg Recent - Beginnings and Growth. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1369626157030-6ASZ2G8ZC4ZZXVDDXQ8H/statetrack_438_2.jpg Recent - Beginnings and Growth. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1369541939081-2JEQYCLGU1RV60ZIA5A1/76052651.jpg Recent - Beginnings and Growth. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1369626554787-AAGIJNF17XFQ4HMCXAGY/76052633.jpg Recent - Beginnings and Growth. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1369542074974-QOPG8SA0PXYU53OMFQXP/statetrack_1532.JPG Recent - Beginnings and Growth. http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/recent/2013/4/30/farewells monthly 0.5 2013-04-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1367299618505-UTOJEQT3NVWMZNCQXQZL/130429_PrayIn_0294.JPG Recent - Farewells During an act of civil disobedience condemning the Republican legislature's agenda Monday, April 29, 2013, outside the N.C. Senate chamber, seventeen people including N.C. NAACP President Rev. William Barber were arrested. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1367300230694-5WVH9M9AFD4QUJDHLW2C/130429_PrayIn_0055.JPG Recent - Farewells William Robinson, 34, of Greensboro chants outside the North Carolina General Assembly in Raleigh, N.C. During an act of civil disobedience condemning the Republican legislature's agenda Monday, April 29, 2013, seventeen people, including N.C. NAACP President Rev. William Barber, were arrested. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1367300393225-I4HIIGSROSL75F9CNB2S/130429_PrayIn_0117_BW.jpg Recent - Farewells Leaders of the N.C. NAACP pray outside the golden doors of the N.C. House of Representatives Chambers. http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/recent/2013/4/6/holi-moli monthly 0.5 2013-04-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1365273423344-7QGE17E38646TFLTKBYX/DSC_9397_ps.jpg Recent - Holi Moli! I decided to get creative with the natural light and shot this portrait a bit hot, letting the background blow out completely. Just an experiment. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1365274610381-G4XKJ66MUJTHBWDHET4P/DSC_9350.jpg Recent - Holi Moli! http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/recent/2013/3/21/fracking-protest monthly 0.5 2013-03-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1363886109209-6Q22KI46926CPCMXCKYM/Screen+shot+2013-03-21+at+12.55.58+PM.png Recent - Fracking Protest Jan Berger places a mask over his head in preparation for the protest outside the NC Capitol Building in Raleigh, N.C. on March 19, 2013. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1363886207039-JBKR9WOZ0M75K0O65YGZ/UNCFbSpTraining_130306_CVH_022.JPG Recent - Fracking Protest A man, who had exited the Capitol building moments before, walks quickly by protestors. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1363886266270-BJKB39ACVR34LW3EGOHD/UNCFbSpTraining_130306_CVH_020.JPG Recent - Fracking Protest Sheila Beaudry waves handmade birds as though they were flying. http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/recent/2013/3/14/sxsw-interactive-awards monthly 0.5 2013-03-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1363318048377-CSQIQWYR5PZCJ1Z4XMWB/Screen+shot+2013-03-14+at+9.22.48+PM.png Recent - SXSW Interactive Awards https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1363318068327-X1WCOVOBIQ7FP9HATZO5/Screen+shot+2013-03-14+at+9.23.28+PM.png Recent - SXSW Interactive Awards https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1363318094835-UV1AHRT3SNDJQUXRCLPB/Screen+shot+2013-03-14+at+9.23.46+PM.png Recent - SXSW Interactive Awards https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1363318601949-PUF4QUDSIT4V3JO6YM4K/Screen+shot+2013-03-14+at+9.24.08+PM.png Recent - SXSW Interactive Awards https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1363318141707-8GF9CJZWRK4YAPKHCVUV/Screen+shot+2013-03-14+at+9.24.25+PM.png Recent - SXSW Interactive Awards https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1363318155051-SGBXJNQD3SUII6D7T7D2/Screen+shot+2013-03-14+at+9.24.56+PM.png Recent - SXSW Interactive Awards https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1363318176458-5KIICQWDJ0ZD8BDIP6GS/Screen+shot+2013-03-14+at+9.25.04+PM.png Recent - SXSW Interactive Awards https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1363318861362-LH1125RSLKCKFEYGDFXD/Screen+shot+2013-03-14+at+9.40.50+PM.png Recent - SXSW Interactive Awards http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/recent/2013/3/14/krispy-kreme-challenge monthly 0.5 2013-03-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1363319079650-JXLBGELH47G3FP1H4MKF/KrispyKreme_130209_cvh_789.JPG Recent - Krispy Kreme Challenge Cullen Domaracki, dressed as Robin, feeds a doughnut to his friend, Jonathan Arcila, dressed as Batman, during the Krispy Kreme Challenge on Saturday, February 9, 2013 in Raleigh, N.C. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1363319115381-22OD2UPXMEBQTV8YZIW6/KrispyKreme_130209_cvh_765.JPG Recent - Krispy Kreme Challenge Jordan Meyers stacked eight doughnuts together, so that he could finish his dozen doughnuts more quickly during the Krispy Kreme Challenge in Raleigh, N.C. on Saturday, February 9, 2013. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1363319162602-EC50TS8UEAKFW1BB0YTB/KrispyKreme_130209_cvh_763.JPG Recent - Krispy Kreme Challenge Russell Talley (L) and Jordan Meyers (R) attempt to finish their dozen doughnuts during the Krispy Kreme Challenge in Raleigh, N.C. on Saturday, February 9, 2013. http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/recent/2013/2/16/dance-marathon-for-the-kids monthly 0.5 2013-06-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1361045272420-OSQAY0ALXH5QC8ZAP7Q8/Screen+shot+2013-02-16+at+3.07.31+PM.png Recent - Dance Marathon, for the kids. Hannah Burke, left, and Jillian Klemm, right, stretch during the UNC Dance Marathon in Fetzer Gym at UNC Chapel Hill on Saturday, February 16, 2013. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1361045073363-EXBDNJ19ZAF9IRYUQLRY/Screen+shot+2013-02-16+at+3.03.13+PM.png Recent - Dance Marathon, for the kids. Douglas Parks, a UNC Chapel Hill sophomore, does a handstand to rest his feet after standing for 16 hours during the UNC Dance Marathon in Fetzer Gym at UNC Chapel Hill on Saturday, February 16, 2013. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1361045366286-6U9J78KS2T3ZH6OA20WT/Screen+shot+2013-02-16+at+3.08.55+PM.png Recent - Dance Marathon, for the kids. Students dance in a long conga line during the UNC Dance Marathon in Fetzer Gym at UNC Chapel Hill on Saturday, February 16, 2013. http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/recent/2013/2/5/signing-day-honestly monthly 0.5 2013-02-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1360176853103-H7AO6ZQZCR7277W9GC4H/Screen+shot+2013-02-06+at+1.53.16+PM.png Recent - Signing Day, Honestly. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1360176922381-QK5ZBYUEKQDVYW1QC1AW/Screen+shot+2013-02-06+at+1.53.51+PM.png Recent - Signing Day, Honestly. http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/recent/2013/2/3/daddy-daughter-dance monthly 0.5 2013-02-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1359930845207-E5M3H3MFBLM4G5S3RQXZ/130202_daddaughterdance_CVH_018.jpg Recent - Daddy Daughter Dance Natalie and Lance Schloot share a piece of cake at the Triangle Father Daughter Dance in Raleigh, N.C. on Saturday February 2, 2013. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1359931041710-16JABZV5APNZJOYU98NH/130202_daddaughterdance_CVH_323.jpg Recent - Daddy Daughter Dance Orthopedic surgeons at the Daddy Daughter Dance. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1359931119060-35E4CEW39TQE5EL730TH/130202_daddaughterdance_CVH_433.jpg Recent - Daddy Daughter Dance Lauren Bussey, 3, shares an apple with Grady Bussey, who says he is "over 3," while driving him around town in her hot new sports car. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1359931280297-308O9XARKQLZ4MW2982P/130202_daddaughterdance_CVH_502.jpg Recent - Daddy Daughter Dance Hunter Gerard, 9, gets shocked back into life. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1359931314933-OJFXQ8YAVAESLY8VSM0N/130202_daddaughterdance_CVH_620.jpg Recent - Daddy Daughter Dance Magic shoes inside a magic ship. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1359931385064-576QMJMYAWKJRRJRV5KV/130202_daddaughterdance_CVH_674.jpg Recent - Daddy Daughter Dance Callie Fillard, 3, fell overboard. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1359931441734-W883ZNT3X40H0HTUWRD9/130202_daddaughterdance_CVH_1062.jpg Recent - Daddy Daughter Dance Security guards and people in cages. Something is gettin' fishy about this dance. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1359931487482-09R1DHI36HSE5VBK1CW4/130202_daddaughterdance_CVH_1189.jpg Recent - Daddy Daughter Dance Izabela Harrison, 7, watches the dance from high above. http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/recent/2013/1/28/cupcakes-and-skateboards monthly 0.5 2013-01-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1359339741555-K5GUBIU2TYMNM5WQA0TG/FoodTruck_130127_cvh_003.jpg Recent - Cupcakes and Skateboards Don Henson tries to land a trick in Durham Central Park's Skatepark on Saturday Jan. 27, 2013. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1359340036439-V1OF86YM6IJR8S76CKO3/FoodTruck_130127_cvh_004.jpg Recent - Cupcakes and Skateboards Don Henson laughs after he fell attempting an advanced trick on his skateboard in Durham Central Park on Sunday Jan. 27, 2012. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1359340168118-98D4Y91M7D0FRKLBZX9U/FoodTruck_130127_cvh_005.jpg Recent - Cupcakes and Skateboards Jamal Evans skates again for the first time in a few years. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1359340388014-E9TJZKVM6SVDNEYRH1RQ/FoodTruck_130127_cvh_007.jpg Recent - Cupcakes and Skateboards Pablo Scolnik sells dog treats from his truck at the food truck rodeo in Durham Central Park on Sunday Jan. 27, 2013. The profits go to Paws 4 Ever animal shelter. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1359404182406-NVUGBFY8M33G3VVAM03I/FoodTruck_130127_cvh_008.jpg Recent - Cupcakes and Skateboards Sherri Mcare hands Talia Mcare a cupcake that they purchased from Stacey Lovelace at the Durham Food Truck Rodeo on Sunday Jan. 27, 2013. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1359404303676-4JJPX1WPHSM0NV7T5WMF/FoodTruck_130127_cvh_009.jpg Recent - Cupcakes and Skateboards Alli Boksleitner picks up the last cupcake that she and her father, Rowland Boksleitner sold at the Durham Food Truck Rodeo on Sunday Jan. 27, 2013. Rowland said that they did not expect such a large crowd, because the weather had promised to be unpredictable, so they ran out of cupcakes early. http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/recent/2013/1/25/welcome monthly 0.5 2013-01-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1359137615208-FGA6FMWB259BZTX2THZK/DSC_4456.jpg Recent - Marcus and his Car Marcus O'Loughlin looks past his fenced in play area, designated for children with autism, to the children outside. This is an outtake from the story World Within Our Own https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1359149626249-184E51VTDPGNOENA3FRM/DSC_4474.jpg Recent - Marcus and his Car Marcus and a classmate in his autism-specific classroom long to be outside playing with the others. http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/exonerated-am-i-really-free daily 0.75 2014-02-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1381122494783-FDZM0FIEYCASN9IMWQDY/C68-10-VanHC-A-01.JPG Exonerated: Am I Really Free? - Exonerated: Am I Really Free? “If these people don’t ever release me from prison, if I exhaust all my remedies in court, I’m gonna make these people kill me,” Daniel Taylor said to his brother, David Taylor during the third time that David purposefully got himself incarcerated in order to spend time with Daniel. When Daniel Taylor was 17, he was wrongly convicted of a double murder that he physically could not have committed. Police investigators beat him into the false confession that sealed his fate, but there was paperwork to prove he had been in police custody for disorderly conduct at the time the murders occurred. Daniel spent two decades of his life sentence looking out from behind bars knowing that he had every right to be free. On June 28th, 2013, the charges against Daniel were dropped and he was released from maximum-security prison in Menard, IL. According to the National Registry of Exonerations, Daniel was the 90th to be exonerated in Cook County since 1989 and the 34th to be wrongfully convicted based on a faulty confession.   https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1381122494783-FDZM0FIEYCASN9IMWQDY/C68-10-VanHC-A-01.JPG Exonerated: Am I Really Free? - Exonerated: Am I “If these people don’t ever release me from prison, if I exhaust all my remedies in court, I’m gonna make these people kill me,” Daniel Taylor said to his brother, David Taylor during the third time that David purposefully got himself incarcerated in order to spend time with Daniel. When Daniel Taylor was 17, he was wrongly convicted of a double murder that he physically could not have committed. Police investigators beat him into the false confession that sealed his fate, but there was paperwork to prove he had been in police custody for disorderly conduct at the time the murders occurred. Daniel spent two decades of his life sentence looking out from behind bars knowing that he had every right to be free. On June 28th, 2013, the charges against Daniel were dropped and he was released from maximum-security prison in Menard, IL. According to the National Registry of Exonerations, Daniel was the 90th to be exonerated in Cook County since 1989 and the 34th to be wrongfully convicted based on a faulty confession. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1381032714875-NGQQWUX86QWRUNK0B0N4/C68-10-VanHC-A-02.JPG Exonerated: Am I Really Free? Daniel Taylor, center, watches his nieces and nephews play in front of his Aunt Marie's house on Thursday, July 4, 2013. Nearly all of his nieces and nephews were born during the twenty years he was incarcerated. The Fourth of July, his sixth day of freedom, was the first time that he met all of them. He said it was overwhelming to observe all of the life that he had missed on a holiday that celebrates freedom. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1381032741521-K8N7H2X09JB3O32Z9ABC/C68-10-VanHC-A-03.JPG Exonerated: Am I Really Free?   Daniel carries Danielle, his niece, inside his brother David's house on Monday, July 8, 2013. On either side of David's house there are evicted homes where gangs, similar to the one Daniel and David were in years ago, sit with guns in their laps openly dealing to passersby. There has been a lot of violence in the Roseland neighborhood of Chicago, where they live, so Daniel wants to move into a safer area, to insure Danielle's safety and to prevent himself and his brother from returning to their old lifestyle. David met Danielle's mother while visiting Daniel in prison, which is only part of why Danielle is named for Daniel. Daniel and Danielle have become quite close since Daniel came home. "If I hadn't gone to prison, there is a chance that my life would have been a lot different," Daniel said. "I probably wouldn’t be the thinker that I am now. I probably wouldn’t be the understanding person that I am now. I probably would have turned out to be a thug or a bum or someone that should be taken off this earth, or I may not even be here!" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1381032801812-PVCKHFA8IPR332BCGEK6/C68-10-VanHC-A-04.JPG Exonerated: Am I Really Free? Lee Williams Jr., left, sits quietly with his brother Daniel, right, after meeting him for the first time in their lives. Before Daniel got out of prison, Daniel did not know that he had another brother. Lee is named after their father, who left Daniel's family at a time when his mother was addicted to cocaine. As a result, Daniel and David ended up with the Department of Children and Family Services in multiple foster homes before living in the streets. "It felt good to find out I had another brother," Daniel said. "It was a great moment in life." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1381032831316-9HXZ135FO53ELU8A2TK9/C68-10-VanHC-A-05.JPG Exonerated: Am I Really Free? Daniel intimately texts a woman he is interested in on his phone prior to saying "Goodnight" to his mother in his mother's apartment building. Daniel explained that he is learning many of his pent up personal desires can be satisfied through technology, but still finds texting frustratingly difficult. Daniel said, "My two-year old niece Danielle can use a phone better than I can. Thats pretty sad!" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1381032892109-M0BPBT63VOCW3EG971CU/C68-10-VanHC-A-06.JPG Exonerated: Am I Really Free? Though he hasn’t signed the lease yet, Daniel tells David how he is going to decorate his room in their new Evanston apartment. An anonymous benefactor is paying their rent for six months in order to help them move out of the dangerous South Side neighborhood that they are currently living in with Danielle, David's daughter. Evanston is a suburb north of Chicago that has a much lower crime rate and more job opportunities than Roseland. The realtor warned Daniel and David that there is lead in the apartment's paint, so they should watch Danielle carefully to make sure she does not consume any of it. Daniel responded, "I think lead paint is the very least of our problems." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1381032906592-134LW2VE196JS21PXUWK/C68-10-VanHC-A-07.JPG Exonerated: Am I Really Free? Daniel and David move items into their new apartment in Evanston, IL on July 22, 2013. Many of their belongings came from Margaret Rosetta, who had also been incarcerated. She had died a week prior to Daniel's move, but left all of her belongings to him. According to her close friend, Becky Frank, "Margaret contributed all of her time and effort to helping people get back on their feet." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1381032949722-FHHTI0I3I1CSKB1WA0KQ/C68-10-VanHC-A-08.JPG Exonerated: Am I Really Free? Daniel kisses his niece, Danielle, after awaking her in their new apartment in Evanston, IL on Wednesday, July 31, 2013. Of his new life, Daniel said, "Freedom means that now I realize how much was taken away from me. Am I really free? I’m not in prison. But there is so much going on in my mind, so much that I don’t know out here. It's like I’m a newborn baby learning life. It's frustrating, but I would rather have this frustration than the alternative." http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/my-daughters-children daily 0.75 2017-06-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1389913292352-JSMQUD1QMX7RC29YQYID/CVH_final_MaryHarris_01.JPG My Daughter's Children - My Daughter's Children For the past five years, Mary Harris raised her two grandchildren, Kyle, 14, and Nevaeh, 5. Their mother Nichole, 38, has been incarcerated for auto theft and drug-related offenses. As a mother to her grandchildren, Mary has encountered new financial and emotional challenges that she did not face the first time she was a mother. With Nichole’s forthcoming release, Mary hopes her life will return to normal as she relinquishes her duties as a stand-in mother. Mary wipes her eyes in frustration and exhaustion after Nevaeh, 5, climbed into the front seat of Mary’s moving car. Nevaeh refused to put her seatbelt on after Mary picked her up from school in Tampa, Fla. on Oct. 8, 2013. Mary has found it hard to discipline Nevaeh over the five years she has raised her. "It is not my place to bring up my daughter's children," Mary said. "This is her life. Those children are her children. I'm always going to be there for them, but my daughter needs to be the head of her household. It is not my place anymore. I want to go out and live some more." This story and accompanying video ran in the Tampa Bay Time's Floridian Magazine February 2014 issue. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1389913292352-JSMQUD1QMX7RC29YQYID/CVH_final_MaryHarris_01.JPG My Daughter's Children - My Daughter's Children For the past five years, Mary Harris raised her two grandchildren, Kyle, 14, and Nevaeh, 5. Their mother Nichole, 38, has been incarcerated for auto theft and drug-related offenses. As a mother to her grandchildren, Mary has encountered new financial and emotional challenges that she did not face the first time she was a mother. With Nichole’s forthcoming release, Mary hopes her life will return to normal as she relinquishes her duties as a stand-in mother. Mary wipes her eyes in frustration and exhaustion after Nevaeh, 5, climbed into the front seat of Mary’s moving car. Nevaeh refused to put her seatbelt on after Mary picked her up from school in Tampa, Fla. on Oct. 8, 2013. Mary has found it hard to discipline Nevaeh over the five years she has raised her. "It is not my place to bring up my daughter's children," Mary said. "This is her life. Those children are her children. I'm always going to be there for them, but my daughter needs to be the head of her household. It is not my place anymore. I want to go out and live some more." This story and accompanying video ran in the Tampa Bay Time's Floridian Magazine February 2014 issue. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1389913318298-F9YG84S700BSIZDJPYK6/CVH_final_MaryHarris_02.JPG My Daughter's Children Nevaeh jumps on her bed as Kyle, a reclusive 14-year-old, texts his girlfriend in their Tampa, Fla. home. Kyle and Nevaeh share a bedroom split in half by a large cork board. Kyle complains about not having privacy or quiet. Mary cannot afford to rent a larger house, however, because she relies on monthly social security and disability checks to pay the bills. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1389913329481-41PNUV8MV6IXH8X791B8/CVH_final_MaryHarris_03.JPG My Daughter's Children Nevaeh tries to tickle Mary by climbing underneath her shirt in Mary's kitchen. Despite the years of personal and financial struggle that raising her two grandchildren has put on her, she said, "My life without Nevaeh and Kyle would be a sentence to me. It would be like somebody would put me in prison and take the only thing I loved away." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1389913376207-RT2EOPBHU44CKNL73TWX/CVH_final_MaryHarris_04.JPG My Daughter's Children Nevaeh frequently experiences night terrors, so every night Mary rubs Nevaeh's head and stomach to help her fall asleep. Mary believes that the night terrors are a result of the drugs her daughter Nichole took throughout her pregnancy. When Nevaeh was born, she received small doses of the drugs that her mother took to help with her withdrawal symptoms.   https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1389913365736-U2LLA62IF5PAO64PEFYF/CVH_final_MaryHarris_05.JPG My Daughter's Children Mary holds Nevaeh's hand while they wait in a secure holding room at Lowell Annex prison in Ocala, Fla. Nichole and Nevaeh hardly know each other, since almost all of their interactions have been during prison visitation hours and through video conference calls. Though she can’t see her mother, Nevaeh looks in Nichole’s direction. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1389913387834-MQU5VOYSBD2242CBZCEV/CVH_final_MaryHarris_06.JPG My Daughter's Children During Nevaeh and Mary’s visit to see Nichole in prison, Nevaeh calls Mary "mommy.” Recalling that moment later, Mary said, "Nichole heard it and thought it was Nevaeh calling her. It wasn't. It was Nevaeh calling me. I got that very mad look. As soon as I got that look, I was thinking in my head 'God I hope she doesn't think I'm trying to steal her children away and making them call me mommy.' I hope I can make her understand that these children needed a mommy while she was gone." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1389913415461-C7NEFJJAG8QUGJLGN640/CVH_final_MaryHarris_07.JPG My Daughter's Children Nevaeh asks her mom to color with her during visitation hours. Frustrated with Nevaeh's incessant pleading for affection and unsure of how to react, Nichole scolds Nevaeh. "I'm just letting mom surface," Mary said. "When we go to visit, Nichole does the discipline, so if the children want to know something or ask to do something, I tell them that mom is right there. Go ask her." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1389913404267-EE5OXC95XBWNDJ3MGU24/CVH_final_MaryHarris_08.JPG My Daughter's Children Nevaeh has deeply emotional attachment issues that stem from her mother and father both abandoning her shortly after she was born, according to Mary. Whenever Mary is late picking Nevaeh up from school, as Mary was on this day, Nevaeh gets extremely upset, thinking that Mary, too, has abandoned her.   https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1389913448804-SM68UYSO7VTI3TMQSK70/CVH_final_MaryHarris_09.JPG My Daughter's Children Mary trails after Nevaeh as Nevaeh runs from house to house trick-or-treating on Halloween. They only visited one section of their neighborhood closest to their home--about ten buildings--because Mary was too exhausted to walk any farther. Of raising children for a second time, Mary said, "I don't know how I did it the first time around. The second time around, oh boy is it tough!" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1389913499693-3PZXGH3T79JH53RK72AO/CVH_final_MaryHarris_11.JPG My Daughter's Children Just before 1 a.m. on December 17, 2013, Nichole was released from Lowell Annex prison in Ocala, Fla. Mary took out a loan to pay for the gas needed to drive to the prison. "My mind is going in so many directions about Nichole getting out and taking over the role of mom, because Nichole is bipolar so it is like a double worry. She has never gone down this road before of handling two children, bringing them up and handling the stress of everyday living." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1389913453619-3VCJEOQ2ZYI7471WXJ98/CVH_final_MaryHarris_10.JPG My Daughter's Children Mary sits quietly on her bed after a long day with the children. Because they were out of school for the holidays, Mary's work had suddenly become a daily twenty-four hour struggle. "I'm just exhausted, I'm totally drained," she said. "Thats why I'm counting the days until Nichole gets out, because it's me, it's not the children. I'm old. I'm getting old before my time and I have to get some of that youth back before it's too late." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1389913493479-3VFQHEWUO0FT97APKT8X/CVH_final_MaryHarris_12.JPG My Daughter's Children Nichole sits on the couch watching the movie "Grown Ups" with Kyle. Having given up on playing after countless rejections from her mother, Nevaeh sits, dejected, on the floor. "I've got so much riding on her to pull through and I don't want her to know it," Mary said. "I don't want her to know how much it means to me for her to really make a success out of this." Later that night, Mary said, "Sometimes I think the only way out of this situation is for me to die, but then what would happen to those kids?" http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/portraiture daily 0.75 2014-12-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1391465484280-UGSOUICWNNP93B5TQUCF/TP_376448_VANH_3_hopes.JPG Portraiture Deborah Barr, 56, sits for a portrait after service at the Israel Bethel P.B. Church in Tampa on Sunday, November 17, 2013. Barr, who is unable to read, carries a bible in her purse and is hoping to one day be able to read it. Her story is a part of the Holiday Hopes series in which the Tampa Bay Times features the stories of those in need during the holiday season. Readers are encouraged to reach out to the subjects of these stories with support and assistance. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1391465484280-UGSOUICWNNP93B5TQUCF/TP_376448_VANH_3_hopes.JPG Portraiture Deborah Barr, 56, sits for a portrait after service at the Israel Bethel P.B. Church in Tampa on Sunday, November 17, 2013. Barr, who is unable to read, carries a bible in her purse and is hoping to one day be able to read it. Her story is a part of the Holiday Hopes series in which the Tampa Bay Times features the stories of those in need during the holiday season. Readers are encouraged to reach out to the subjects of these stories with support and assistance. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1391465631106-9GBG1AGBAGU0ZQVMC8CX/130908_streetbasketball_147A.JPG Portraiture Willie Brantley does roofing in Tampa these days; however, at one point he was making his living "under the table." He spent three years in prison because of that lifestyle, but is turning himself around. He said, "I've watched this area decline, but that don't mean I got to keep declining with it." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1391465517709-S5IQ9HR0MGV058US4O7K/140202_cvh_turnin_4.jpg Portraiture Ray Whitehouse https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1391465504815-YUVWSD7XC72I0B5BFKS9/Screen+Shot+2013-10-28+at+9.01.22+PM.png Portraiture Erica Heller recreating American Beauty. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1418012115147-3N690IARNOMNPRDF0F7S/VanHouten_Carolyn_Portfolio_selects_15.JPG Portraiture http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/escaramuza-las-potrancas daily 0.75 2016-02-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1440107138564-YUERLPQR8ABI7J3KET1N/static1.squarespace-16.jpg Escaramuza Las Potrancas - Escaramuza Las Potrancas Escaramuza Las Potrancas is an equestrian drill team competing in traditional Mexican rodeos. It is a way for Mexican-American girls to hold onto their heritage through their horses and each other. Miriam Alejandra Montecillos and Emely Ayala canter in formation during practice at La Herradura Ranch in San Antonio, Texas on March 7, 2015. "There is nothing else like escaramuza, so we know it is not forever, but we will do it as long as we can," Leticia Ozuna, mother of Montecillos and Ayala's teammate Caterina Ozuna, said. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1440107138564-YUERLPQR8ABI7J3KET1N/static1.squarespace-16.jpg Escaramuza Las Potrancas - Escaramuza Las Potrancas Escaramuza Las Potrancas is an equestrian drill team competing in traditional Mexican rodeos. It is a way for Mexican-American girls to hold onto their heritage through their horses and each other. Miriam Alejandra Montecillos and Emely Ayala canter in formation during practice at La Herradura Ranch in San Antonio, Texas on March 7, 2015. "There is nothing else like escaramuza, so we know it is not forever, but we will do it as long as we can," Leticia Ozuna, mother of Montecillos and Ayala's teammate Caterina Ozuna, said. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1440107126498-F41BQJOW8AVP84XQEEH3/static1.squarespace-13.jpg Escaramuza Las Potrancas Andrea Murillo rests her head on her sister Roxanna Murillo as Miriam Alejandra Montecillos and Jackie Ayala try to prevent Mora from eating the leaves on the tree branch above their heads. The team was waiting to perform in the "A Day in Old Mexico" Charreada at the San Antonio Charros Association in San Antonio, Texas on April 26, 2015. "I'm not nervous for today," team captain Kristy Escamilla, left, said. "I think that is because we had such a good practice." "But we can't be too confident," Madelyn Monique Montecillos replied. "We still have to ride well." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1440107192428-NH2MAWU4P89B4Y5R6CKE/static1.squarespace-27.jpg Escaramuza Las Potrancas Caterina Ozuna and Miriam Alejandra Montecillos warm up before practicing their routine for Pre-Estatal at El Rancho Unico in Atascosa, Texas on March 26, 2015. "You feel the nerves the moment you go in," Ozuna said. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1440107120851-SAGG2759JR6WA5MM82WS/static1.squarespace-12.jpg Escaramuza Las Potrancas - Escaramuza Las Potrancas Escaramuza Las Potrancas practices their routine for the pre-state competition at El Rancho Unico in Atascosa, Texas on March 26, 2015. The team ended up third in the pre-state competition. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1440107148703-UP9C9BLBD817CJTMKZP6/static1.squarespace-19.jpg Escaramuza Las Potrancas Brenda Murillo hits the ground after she and her horse Cazador slipped and fell during a "punta," or slide stop, at Rancho San Miguel in Atascosa, Texas on March 26, 2015. This was Murillo's first time falling off, she said. Despite that, she got back on moments later and tried to do a punta again, this time with success. "When an escaramuza falls, they just dust off their dress and get right back on," Coach Jimmy Ayala said. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1440107196818-HO72LINHRF731CKBHHML/static1.squarespace-29.jpg Escaramuza Las Potrancas Miriam Alejandra Montecillos, Yaretzi Peña and Andrea Murillo lean over for a group hug after practice at El Rancho Unico in Atascosa, Texas on March 26, 2015. Peña is from another team, Escaramuza Orgullo Mexicano. She used to be a part of Murillo and Montecillos' team and the girls remain friends. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1440107158072-24MZKC5G7N1ECM1ZZXRX/static1.squarespace-21.jpg Escaramuza Las Potrancas Jackie Ayala and Kristy Escamilla do their hair in the bathroom of a gas station along I-35 on February 21, 2015. The girls were on their way to represent the team at Junta Estatal para Capitanas, or the State Meeting for Captains, in Temple, Texas. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1440107181025-G1FKH4RMKMY4PE9RXLK5/static1.squarespace-23.jpg Escaramuza Las Potrancas Escaramuza Las Potrancas does a "giro", or a 360 degree spin, during their performance in the "A Day in Old Mexico" Charreada at the San Antonio Charros Association in San Antonio, Texas on April 26, 2015. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1456027642518-INYCSW017HKRFUT4Q9IF/vanhouten024.JPG Escaramuza Las Potrancas Andrea Murillo and the other team members walk their horses to cool them down after their performance during the A Day in Old Mexico charreada that is a part of San Antonio’s annual Fiesta in San Antonio, Texas on April 26, 2015. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1440107192833-FFHLIXNPDEIMIJFTZC5I/static1.squarespace-28.jpg Escaramuza Las Potrancas Jackie Ayala hugs her horse Louis Vuitton after practice at El Rancho Unico in Atascosa, Texas on March 26, 2015. http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/personal daily 0.75 2017-06-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1394351242534-Z4XCO7GKX8CGK3LAVTWG/1911853_10152052438231051_797141086_n-1.JPG Personal Pictures of people taking pictures. Chicago, IL https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1394351242534-Z4XCO7GKX8CGK3LAVTWG/1911853_10152052438231051_797141086_n-1.JPG Personal Pictures of people taking pictures. Chicago, IL https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1394350816063-EXFYMHFWL6GSEO59JKKE/2013-12-26+14.39.58-2.jpg Personal A Christmas miracle. Tampa, FL. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1394351233454-T4C8N1MLE3MF8POTQR5D/970191_10151521546696051_212684394_n.JPG Personal Sailboat Races. Annapolis, MD https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1394350821814-KWKF8HLT1PI9NMYL7U6L/2014-01-07+14.53.46-2.jpg Personal Icy traditions. Jasper, IN. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1409778462835-VY39LC1K0QLDT0XXRGHQ/photo+1.JPG Personal Dad's fireman jacket. Ferdinand, IN. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1394353198727-A3T4EIHR47MBORRI4ZHI/securedownload-5.jpeg Personal Birthday party quarrel. Tampa, FL. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1498029043502-LG531CLL35134FV2KUTU/IMG_8412.JPG Personal https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1394351231032-1QW42INRYSOR95TBW9MX/602358_10151560024661051_1648537508_n.JPG Personal Evening fog. Chicago, IL. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1498028887120-R5TCET48WZBCCD4GUUB5/IMG_8409.JPG Personal https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1409778462305-5UF101LCOHKUZKD3S0FA/photo+2.JPG Personal Puja and the snowmelt. Yosemite National Park, CA. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1394351091794-K6PPPT0PITP4EQLOXJBP/543704_10151494435556051_783632233_n.JPG Personal Trapped. Chapel Hill, NC. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1394353193256-677YLUUDN8OK3HTZEUVP/securedownload-4.jpeg Personal End of a perfect day. St. Petersburg, FL. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1394353200169-SXTEKXG3GNHLNL78ZI8X/securedownload-6.jpeg Personal Family fishing by the bay. Tampa, FL. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1498029067749-PLN9SDRCC2IDVL87R1VY/IMG_8414.JPG Personal https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1409778464890-6N8I6BROFG1RPUZAFXB0/photo+3.JPG Personal The Jeeps lose sectionals. Indiana. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1409778464312-0HD1LB0HVBKN06L0A8CX/photo+4.JPG Personal The ferry to Ocracoke Island. Somewhere in the Pamlico Sound, NC. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1498029030210-EWSYBMHJ5AIU5R0ZVZ1C/IMG_8410.JPG Personal https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1498029033720-GXNDDQ7EC4W6Z4JWYADD/IMG_8411.JPG Personal http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/corridor-of-shame daily 0.75 2014-09-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1409608130118-FXA4KDNTN4XFT6D29QMX/Corridor_Edit_WebSite_001.JPG Corridor of Shame An abandoned school desk sits in a classroom inside the old Ridgeland Middle School building in Ridgeland, S.C. on Wednesday, July 30, 2014. Up until the desegregation of schools, the building only housed classes for the minority students in the county. Now the district is planning on restoring the building to use for office space and community programs. South Carolina's rural, impoverished school districts along I-95 are collectively known as the "Corridor of Shame," because of how poorly the dilapidated schools perform in the region. Thirty-six of South Carolina's poorest school districts sued the state in what is now the longest running court case in the state's history--Abbeville County School District vs. The State of South Carolina. Although the case has yet to come to a decision, there are individuals throughout the Corridor who are finding their own ways of improving the education system for the students affected. This story was shot for Al Jazeera America. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1409608130118-FXA4KDNTN4XFT6D29QMX/Corridor_Edit_WebSite_001.JPG Corridor of Shame An abandoned school desk sits in a classroom inside the old Ridgeland Middle School building in Ridgeland, S.C. on Wednesday, July 30, 2014. Up until the desegregation of schools, the building only housed classes for the minority students in the county. Now the district is planning on restoring the building to use for office space and community programs. South Carolina's rural, impoverished school districts along I-95 are collectively known as the "Corridor of Shame," because of how poorly the dilapidated schools perform in the region. Thirty-six of South Carolina's poorest school districts sued the state in what is now the longest running court case in the state's history--Abbeville County School District vs. The State of South Carolina. Although the case has yet to come to a decision, there are individuals throughout the Corridor who are finding their own ways of improving the education system for the students affected. This story was shot for Al Jazeera America. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1409608132605-2G4T94RXH2IPUB3P4C8K/Corridor_Edit_WebSite_002.JPG Corridor of Shame Trying to escape the heat, Qa'Montae Brown, 7, stands in the shade of a tree near his home in Dillon, S.C. on Saturday July 12, 2014. Dillon sits at the north end of the Corridor with an 88 percent minority population. Many residents of the mainly poor, rural area say that there is a racial disparity in access to quality education. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1409612066145-HNVF3WJWV7FM5JYO06YI/20140729_AJAMCorridor_CVH_015.jpg Corridor of Shame Despite the school being 118 years old, classes were held inside J.V. Martin Junior High until two years ago. The school building, which is considered "an edifice to the persistent inequality in South Carolina public schools," still houses Dillon County School District 4 offices.   Reporter Kimberly Johnson wrote more on this school in the first part of her story for Al Jazeera America. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1409608139679-HFTRHP7K7LHJY7JWLUW6/Corridor_Edit_WebSite_003.JPG Corridor of Shame Farrah McLellan stands for a portrait behind the counter of Lil' Bill's convenience store where she works in Dillon, S.C. on Sunday, July 20, 2014. "When I was in school, they told us we ain't going nowhere and they were right. Look at me now." She attended J.V. Martin and Dillon High School. She is taking classes online trying to work towards a college degree, but also has the responsibility of raising her sons and working full-time. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1409608150484-YLAW2A2NML88QWW8UJ2M/Corridor_Edit_WebSite_004.JPG Corridor of Shame Blaine Lotz stands for a portrait outside of the Jasper County School District offices in Ridgeland, S.C. on Wednesday, July 30, 2014. Lotz is a member of the Hilton Head Presbyterian Church. Many members of the church's congregation, including Lotz, work with Jasper County schools tutoring fifth graders in reading and writing, raising money and holding book drives. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1409608167699-IF7DGK33MYJ260L89FFG/Corridor_Edit_WebSite_005.JPG Corridor of Shame Jasper County Superintendent Vashti Washington stands for a portrait inside the old Ridgeland Middle School building in Ridgeland, S.C. on Wednesday, July 30, 2014. Up until the desegregation of schools, the building only housed classes for minority students in the county. Now the district is planning on restoring the building to use for office space and community programs. "Culturally it is difficult to get the community to change and to get a quality system in place," Washington said. "I have met so much opposition that it has dampened my spirit." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1409608172974-EZCVZMQ781W7I9NHR8NP/Corridor_Edit_WebSite_006.JPG Corridor of Shame Melissa Thompson, the teacher at Vision Education Center, a non-profit summer learning and feeding program, poses for a portrait in her classroom in Dillon, S.C. on Monday July 28, 2014. She attended J.V. Martin and Dillon High School. Thompson said that her fifth grade teacher at J.V. Martin, Mrs. Harlee, was the one who inspired her to teach and give back to her community through education. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1409608179756-87YYTNODFIIC8YGHKYIX/Corridor_Edit_WebSite_007.JPG Corridor of Shame Students write an essay about what they enjoy and what they would change about the summer program at Vision Education Center in Dillon S.C. on Tuesday, July 29, 2014. "People in this community want change in their children's educations and opportunities, but they do not know how to embrace change when it becomes a reality," Nez Wynn, the founder and president of the center, said. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1409608187821-7XW3WWUH0PJL0RS40S5C/Corridor_Edit_WebSite_008.JPG Corridor of Shame Dillon High School student Kory Warren, 15, stands for a portrait in Dillon, S.C. on Saturday July 12, 2014. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1409608192245-WMSHQR6Z2SZ1N5WTU1BL/Corridor_Edit_WebSite_009.JPG Corridor of Shame Roosevelt Brown, 23, stands for a portrait in front of the old West Hardeeville School building in Hardeeville, SC on Saturday, July 19, 2014. He graduated from the school in 2005, when the building was still being used. His mother is a teacher in the charter school, called Royal Live Oaks Academy, on the same plot of land, which consists of a group of clean new trailers. The charter school is renting the land and old building from the school district. The building was closed when Superintendent Washington moved the elementary and middle schools to nearby Ridgeland and kept the high school in Hardeeville. Many parents were upset about this change, because it meant that they had to travel across the miles of swampland between the two towns. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1409608195020-NELLT1IUI0YN73GPN4FS/Corridor_Edit_WebSite_010.JPG Corridor of Shame De'Juanna Bethea, 15, sits for a portrait outside of Lil Bill's convenience store in Dillon, S.C. on Sunday, July 20, 2014. She is originally from Dillon, but now goes to Lumberton High School, which is just north of the state line into North Carolina where she says the education is much better. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1409608199199-F4ECQ0Q61SK3P21H2ZM6/Corridor_Edit_WebSite_011.JPG Corridor of Shame Children in the YMCA Summer Camp play in the spray of a fire hose outside of Ridgeland Elementary School on Wednesday, July 30, 2014. The Ridgeland Fire Department came to the school to teach the children about fire safety. This was the children's reward for getting all of the questions correct on the verbal fire safety quiz. This new school building houses the elementary and middle schools and contains many resources for students and teachers that the old buildings could not. http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/humming-a-new-tune daily 0.75 2017-06-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1409604290964-VRDAQ2P525EK063XALXA/2014_BookNYC_CVH013.JPG Humming A New Tune - Humming a New Tune Casey Thayer, 22, grew up on a farm with her parents and two siblings, surrounded by animals and fields. When she was young, Casey was diagnosed with autism. Casey nuzzled up to Janice next to a horse pasture on their farm in Birdseye, IN on April 27, 2014. "I am losing a huge part of my life," Janice said. A few days later, Casey moved out. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1409604290964-VRDAQ2P525EK063XALXA/2014_BookNYC_CVH013.JPG Humming A New Tune - Humming a New Tune Casey Thayer, 22, grew up on a farm with her parents and two siblings, surrounded by animals and fields. When she was young, Casey was diagnosed with autism. Casey nuzzled up to Janice next to a horse pasture on their farm in Birdseye, IN on April 27, 2014. "I am losing a huge part of my life," Janice said. A few days later, Casey moved out. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1409604288488-UV78SJXGLGP28Y5OH8UC/2014_BookNYC_CVH014.JPG Humming A New Tune Casey attended her final high school prom with her mother Janice at Forest Park High School on April 26. Although many people with autism are overwhelmed by loud noise and wild lights, Casey loved to dance with her mother to the music and watch her classmates interact. Her brother Emerson, who attends Forest Park, was also there with a group of his friends. Janice said, "I honestly think she felt like Cinderella or Belle that day and if it takes me going with her to make that happen, it is worth it to me." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1409604291456-IQRGKIZ4UY9Z4LDQ9JK9/2014_BookNYC_CVH015.JPG Humming A New Tune Janice lit twenty-two candles on an ice cream cake for Casey's birthday on April 27, 2014 at their home. Casey's 22nd birthday was a turning point for the Thayer family and their decision to move Casey into a home in Jasper, IN. Up until this birthday, Casey attended Forest Park High School while her parents went to work. However, in order to continue taking care of Casey at home after she could no longer attend school, either Doug or Janice would have had to leave their job, a job their family relied on. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1409604297962-6VCATOC8WP4DVID20NEU/2014_BookNYC_CVH018.JPG Humming A New Tune People with autism often have habits that help release their feelings of being overwhelmed or frustrated. For Casey, that habit is shredding. Casey shredded a piece of plastic while walking along her family's driveway in Birdseye, IN on April 27, 2014. Her parents speculated that her anxiety stemmed from her knowing about the upcoming move; however, they could not ask her about how she was feeling. She cannot form sentences or words, but communicates only through humming and her own form of sign language. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1409604302755-A59NP2M59VRGS6PLRA46/2014_BookNYC_CVH020.JPG Humming A New Tune Doug embraced Janice as Casey's school bus pulled away from their driveway for the last time on May 1, 2014. Casey did not come home from school that day, but was picked up by her new caretakers and taken to her new home in Jasper, IN. "I wonder if she realizes it is the last time," Doug said. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1440105954874-RPQ5RQA6058FBM53G457/vanhouten_bop3_18.JPG Humming A New Tune Casey's parents, Janice and Doug, moved Casey's belongings into her new assisted living home in Jasper, IN on May 1, 2014. Janice said that she and her husband had to put on a strong face to show support for Casey's new life, otherwise Casey would not be able to stand staying there. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1409604304631-314TMYK2PETSX05FAF39/2014_BookNYC_CVH022.JPG Humming A New Tune After arriving at her new home in Jasper, IN for the first time without her parents on May 1, 2014, Casey went to her room and stayed laying in the same position for hours on her unmade bed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1409604313041-PH6AUL28SIXAC3KP2BAJ/2014_BookNYC_CVH025.JPG Humming A New Tune Casey spends hours every day watching movies to pass the time. She loves Disney and Pixar movies best. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1409604301639-UCL9MBI1507S46SNJPDP/2014_BookNYC_CVH021.JPG Humming A New Tune Casey looked at her new home in Jasper, IN from the passenger seat of Janice's car on June 14, 2014. Casey now resides with two other residents under 24-hour care in that home. However, Janice often picks her up on the weekends for the day to go to church or visit the rest of the family. This time she was picking up Casey so that they could spend Father's Day weekend with Doug. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1440106045978-FBYNFQHV8ID59PD7EZ3P/vanhouten_bop3_22.JPG Humming A New Tune During her visit, Casey embraced every piece of home she always cherished--from eating her dad's homemade dinner to hugging the kittens roaming her family's land. Although the house Casey lives in has changed, she always can return to her family. http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/fair-kids daily 0.75 2014-12-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1418008105766-CMIGPGCHLKMO7486XPFO/VanHouten_Carolyn_Portfolio_selects_15.JPG Fair Kids Joshua Seitter, 12, and Whiskey Lullaby stand for a portrait at the North Carolina State Fair on October 25, 2013. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1418008105766-CMIGPGCHLKMO7486XPFO/VanHouten_Carolyn_Portfolio_selects_15.JPG Fair Kids Joshua Seitter, 12, and Whiskey Lullaby stand for a portrait at the North Carolina State Fair on October 25, 2013. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1418008110038-7GZFJ6QLNH5XCVUJ1TES/VanHouten_Carolyn_Portfolio_selects_16.JPG Fair Kids Samantha Seitter, 10, and Ava stand for a portrait at the North Carolina State Fair on October 25, 2013. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1418008149730-3I5AUVUK3VP8TAGHTYSN/VanHouten_Carolyn_Portfolio_selects_17.JPG Fair Kids Ashley Davis, 15, and Symphony stand for a portrait at the North Carolina State Fair on October 25, 2013. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1418008166900-TQ0DG7HGJQ3UPQ99RFOI/VanHouten_Carolyn_Portfolio_selects_18.JPG Fair Kids Ella Johnson, 16, and Joelle stand for a portrait at the North Carolina State Fair on October 25, 2013. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1418008193205-RC3MYT0M0GYEKNJDQI5N/VanHouten_Carolyn_Portfolio_selects_19.JPG Fair Kids Ethan Johnson, 9, and Darby stand for a portrait at the North Carolina State Fair on October 25, 2013. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1418008257697-YU2WOTQ4MYTQ2789OM8D/VanHouten_Carolyn_Portfolio_selects_22.JPG Fair Kids David Carlson, 12, and Gigi stand for a portrait at the North Carolina State Fair on October 25, 2013. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1418008276473-VBKQ8C28ZR2EEBN2SAPD/VanHouten_Carolyn_Portfolio_selects_23.JPG Fair Kids Elri Bell, 12, and Chewy stand for a portrait at the North Carolina State Fair on October 25, 2013. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1418008246035-VO8RCACVV720RUIZYQ2L/VanHouten_Carolyn_Portfolio_selects_21.JPG Fair Kids Grace Moore, 6, and Paper Moon stand for a portrait at the North Carolina State Fair on October 25, 2013. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1418008208846-USJH36JQHXYL78KSL91L/VanHouten_Carolyn_Portfolio_selects_20.JPG Fair Kids Allison Stumbo, 20, and Matilda stand for a portrait at the North Carolina State Fair on October 25, 2013. http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/rebuilding-after-the-floods daily 0.75 2016-02-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1456027951742-BP3U07DL5VRFY4BC8T4R/vanhouten005.JPG Rebuilding After the Floods - Rebuilding After the Floods The Bamberger family struggled to rebuild their home and lives after they lost their house, their business and most of their belongings in the floods that hit Texas on Memorial Day weekend in 2015. Glenda Bamberger looks out of the back door of her home in Blanco, Texas, U.S. on Friday, May 29, 2015 after flash floods destroyed her home, her husband's business and most of her family's belongings. Bamberger, who was born and raised in Blanco, said, "We put everything into buying this house and now I am not sure we will want to rebuild." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1456027951742-BP3U07DL5VRFY4BC8T4R/vanhouten005.JPG Rebuilding After the Floods - Rebuilding After the Floods The Bamberger family struggled to rebuild their home and lives after they lost their house, their business and most of their belongings in the floods that hit Texas on Memorial Day weekend in 2015. Glenda Bamberger looks out of the back door of her home in Blanco, Texas, U.S. on Friday, May 29, 2015 after flash floods destroyed her home, her husband's business and most of her family's belongings. Bamberger, who was born and raised in Blanco, said, "We put everything into buying this house and now I am not sure we will want to rebuild." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1456027951416-6Y1GIUWZVYNRWWRBTOZC/vanhouten006.JPG Rebuilding After the Floods Serenity Bamberger, 7, looks at the damage in her home in Blanco, Texas on Friday, May 29, 2015. Of the donations that have flooded in to help Serenity and her family, she said, "It is like Christmas." However, her mother Glenda Bamberger said that Serenity and her sister Cielo were very upset at first. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1456027951947-1GULZ8LNMXGDOVUDECKQ/vanhouten007.JPG Rebuilding After the Floods Cielo Bamberger, 10, and Esme Bella Bamberger, 9 months, hang on their mother Glenda Bamberger while their sister Serenity Bamberger, 7, digs in the dirt outside of their trailer on their property in Blanco, Texas, U.S. on July 1, 2015. The family is living in the trailer, which is parked in front of their flood-damaged home, while they build a new house on eight-foot pillars on the same property. Despite the pain that the river along the property caused, the family decided to try to rebuild. The dog, known as Buddy or Bear, showed up on their property after the floods and has stayed since. Glenda said that she thinks he was carried far from his home in the floods, because none of their neighbors in the area have claimed him. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1456027952352-YGPSXF2MZ7MO8D0JT2L0/vanhouten008.JPG Rebuilding After the Floods Glenda Bamberger rubs her forehead while she looks at a receipt for the sand and rocks needed to make the cement for the pillars that will hold up their new house in Blanco, Texas, U.S. on July 11, 2015. The Bambergers' new house needs to be raised off the ground to avoid future flooding. The supplier only delivered a portion of the sand and rock order and the Bambergers were concerned about whether they had enough to finish pouring all of the cement pillars that day. The supplier was closed when they arrived. Before her parents left to see the supplier, Cielo Bamberger, 10, said, "I always heard the saying 'cheap as dirt,' but this dirt ain't cheap." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1456027952932-COQBGEHZBDKKF20ZXLRO/vanhouten009.JPG Rebuilding After the Floods Glenda Bamberger, right, and her husband Jarrell Bamberger, left, widen holes dug in their yard in Blanco, Texas, U.S. on July 11, 2015. Their home was destroyed in the floods that occurred in May along the Blanco River in Central Texas. They poured a concrete pillar in each of the twelve holes for the house they are building to replace the one that flooded. The house will be eight feet off the ground in the hope that it will not be affected by future floods on their property. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1456027953152-NJ1K1VOE2JNKYJS6SNXH/vanhouten010.JPG Rebuilding After the Floods Jarrell Bamberger talks to his wife Glenda Bamberger about what they need to start building their home while their daughter Esmebella, 9 months, sits in their shopping cart at Home Depot in Bulverde, Texas on July 10, 2015. They began construction on their new home the next day. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1456027953853-2RYYJ93DP5BN52APNFAM/vanhouten011.JPG Rebuilding After the Floods Glenda Bamberger and her daughter Cielo Bamberger spin around in what will eventually be Cielo's bedroom in their new house in Blanco, Texas, U.S. on August 22, 2015. After receiving donations from several flood and disaster relief organizations from around the country, the Bambergers were able to continue working on the house without having to sell the trailer they are living in. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1456027953641-EES52NK02SW78GPO3UBJ/vanhouten012.JPG Rebuilding After the Floods The Bambergers celebrate their youngest daughter Esme Bella Bamberger's first birthday in the kitchen on their first official day living in their new home in Blanco, Texas on October 27, 2015. "We feel beyond happy," Glenda Bamberger said. "I feel like I am going to explode with joy." Standing in the center, this was Glenda Bamberger's father Jose Rivera's first time seeing the house completed. Rivera helped the Bambergers break ground on the house before the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) money ran out and the volunteers and donated materials came in. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1456027954045-W2LFP6DPZAHH5NXMOKHS/vanhouten013.JPG Rebuilding After the Floods Serenity Bamberger, right, leans on her sister Cielo Bamberger outside of their new house in Blanco, Texas, U.S. on October 27, 2015. This was the first night that they began living in their new home since its completion. Three days later, the same river that destroyed their first house flooded their property again with several feet of water. Because their new house is high off the ground, the Bambergers and their belongings survived. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1456027957643-UFKVF55R6L6RZTOL3WM9/vanhouten014.JPG Rebuilding After the Floods While Jarrell Bamberger plays guitar, Serenity Bamberger stands on her parents' bed and reaches out towards her sister Esme Bella Bamberger, who is in Glenda Bamberger's arms, on their first official day living in their new home in Blanco, Texas on October 27, 2015. This was also Esme Bella's first birthday. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1456027954797-FN1I9SGJSFQT1CU8X5E5/vanhouten015.JPG Rebuilding After the Floods Serenity Bamberger floats in the Little Blanco River along their property on August 18, 2015 in Blanco, Texas. Three months prior, over Memorial Day, the same river flooded their home and business destroying the majority of the family's belongings and source of income. The Memorial Day weekend flooding, which affected Texas and Oklahoma, killed 24 people according to The Associated Press. Three of those deaths occurred along the Blanco River of which the Little Blanco River is a direct tributary. Despite the toll the river has taken, Bertha Rivera, Serenity's grandmother, said, "The river bed was dry for years, so now that the water is here I tell the girls to take advantage of it all that they can." http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/south-texas-oil-bust daily 0.75 2017-06-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1456028043668-MNVBCCTH20QEO6OXV3VY/OIL_012.JPG South Texas Oil Bust - South Texas Oil Bust As crude oil’s multiyear boom turned to bust with prices dropping from $100 a barrel to below $50 in 2015, a projected 140,000 Texans working in the oil industry lost their jobs. This project explores how life in the south Texas oil fields has changed as a result. A pump jack stands next to a picnic area outside of LaGrange, Texas, U.S. on February 19, 2015. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1456028043668-MNVBCCTH20QEO6OXV3VY/OIL_012.JPG South Texas Oil Bust - South Texas Oil Bust As crude oil’s multiyear boom turned to bust with prices dropping from $100 a barrel to below $50 in 2015, a projected 140,000 Texans working in the oil industry lost their jobs. This project explores how life in the south Texas oil fields has changed as a result. A pump jack stands next to a picnic area outside of LaGrange, Texas, U.S. on February 19, 2015. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1456028044258-0KW1ITZJ7Y7RF6HOPNL5/OIL_013.JPG South Texas Oil Bust Tino Gaona prays in his bedroom on the morning of his youngest daughter's 24th birthday, which he is missing because he must work in the oil fields, in Cotulla, Texas, U.S. on August 6, 2015. "I miss a lot of birthdays and holidays, but that is how it goes," he said. He prays every morning before going to work in the oil field. Of God, he said, "He's the reason I am still here, so I pray for everybody on my crew." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1456028045058-28KW4JCN7O580HD88KL5/OIL_014.JPG South Texas Oil Bust Contract operator Hans Helland and company man Nolan Sheedy talk by an oil rig in Hallettsville, Texas on May 22, 2015. The steep drop in oil prices has forced oil companies to cancel drilling contracts throughout the Eagle Ford Shale region. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1456028045122-V4ZSXPY17Q4UM6GHX19D/OIL_015.JPG South Texas Oil Bust Harvey Howell, center, looks at data from the mud log with Hans Helland, right, and Frank Sitterle, left, in a trailer on an oil rig site in Hallettsville, Texas, U.S. on May 22, 2015. The mud log data shows how much crude oil exists at various depths in a well. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1456028046631-61E7IISWSJ1JT8AVOZ31/OIL_016.JPG South Texas Oil Bust Devin Meurer, a former U.S. Marine, lays in bed with his dog Rocco in his apartment in Pleasanton, Texas, U.S. on August 6, 2015. Meurer is facing eviction after getting in a motorcycle accident and losing his third oil field job since December 2014. Rocco died a few weeks later. "Rocco was my savior," he said. "I am just trying to make it another day." “I’d rather go back to Iraq," he said. "At least I know who’s shooting at me over there. Here, every angle something is wrong. Everyone is shooting at you.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1456028046535-4YTJ29OYBO3NE71N8CWD/OIL_017.JPG South Texas Oil Bust Melissa Rios holds her daughter Marley Rios, 5, at her mother's house on April 5, 2015 in San Antonio, Texas. She attended the Easter barbecue with Devin Meurer, a former U.S. Marine who has gone through three oil field jobs since December 2014. "We're broke. We had to figure out which car had more gas to get us here because we can't afford to fill the tank," Meurer said. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1456028048695-UGWCDGNISR6F2Z3ZTOEI/OIL_018.JPG South Texas Oil Bust Ronnie Moore and Billy Davis eat lunch at JJ's Country Store in Cotulla, Texas on August 5, 2015. They both haul frac sand in the Eagle Ford Shale region. "Damn near overnight we started making half of what we used to make," Moore said. "All you hear is talk. Nobody knows what is going to happen. I want to retire soon, but my wife doesn't want me home all the time." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1456028048102-Q98Z6BAK4Z8N2L5UXAYJ/OIL_019.JPG South Texas Oil Bust The Cotulla Vaqueros watch as Breyon Deltoro, 4, of the Little Vaqueros, races back to the finish line during the goat tagging relay for children six years and under at the LaSalle County Fair and Wild Hog Cookoff in Cotulla, Texas on March 13, 2015. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1456028049093-GW1FKH20FK7AJ6IIDZRD/OIL_020.JPG South Texas Oil Bust Llewellyn Oil Company Supply Store stands permanently closed down in Fowlerton, Texas on August 5, 2015. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1456028052145-VBJI7F288CMJFZIXMS7L/OIL_021.JPG South Texas Oil Bust Bianca Chaires, 8, holds her family's puppy Brisket as she walks down the road that winds through the Cotulla RV Park in Cotulla, Texas, U.S. on March 7, 2015. The RV park serves the oil field workers and their companies who want to have a more affordable and home-like living arrangement. She lives in one of the RVs with her family. http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/rebuilding-after-the-floods-1 daily 0.75 2017-06-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1476389954029-51D3CKGMAY8PY8ZURPKA/BAMBERGERS_001.JPG Rebuilding After the Floods Glenda Bamberger looks out of the back door of her home in Blanco, Texas, U.S. on Friday, May 29, 2015 after flash floods destroyed her home, her husband's business and most of her family's belongings. Bamberger, who was born and raised in Blanco, said, "We put everything into buying this house and now I am not sure we will want to rebuild." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1476389954029-51D3CKGMAY8PY8ZURPKA/BAMBERGERS_001.JPG Rebuilding After the Floods Glenda Bamberger looks out of the back door of her home in Blanco, Texas, U.S. on Friday, May 29, 2015 after flash floods destroyed her home, her husband's business and most of her family's belongings. Bamberger, who was born and raised in Blanco, said, "We put everything into buying this house and now I am not sure we will want to rebuild." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1476389954061-NERNCMA9YNY5M9UDKGNX/BAMBERGERS_002.JPG Rebuilding After the Floods Serenity Bamberger, 7, looks at the damage in her home in Blanco, Texas on Friday, May 29, 2015. Of the donations that have flooded in to help Serenity and her family, she said, "It is like Christmas." However, her mother Glenda Bamberger said that Serenity and her sister Cielo were very upset at first. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1476389958880-087GBRIXXM0VQLAP9O7J/BAMBERGERS_003.JPG Rebuilding After the Floods Cielo Bamberger, 10, and Esme Bella Bamberger, 9 months, hang on their mother Glenda Bamberger while their sister Serenity Bamberger, 7, digs in the dirt outside of their trailer on their property in Blanco, Texas, U.S. on July 1, 2015. The family is living in the trailer, which is parked in front of their flood-damaged home, while they build a new house on eight-foot pillars on the same property. Despite the pain that the river along the property caused, the family decided to try to rebuild. The dog, known as Buddy or Bear, showed up on their property after the floods and has stayed since. Glenda said that she thinks he was carried far from his home in the floods, because none of their neighbors in the area have claimed him. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1476389958984-KSU9ZOHBSRSVNHQY0L9S/BAMBERGERS_004.JPG Rebuilding After the Floods Glenda Bamberger rubs her forehead while she looks at a receipt for the sand and rocks needed to make the cement for the pillars that will hold up their new house in Blanco, Texas, U.S. on July 11, 2015. The Bambergers' new house needs to be raised off the ground to avoid future flooding. The supplier only delivered a portion of the sand and rock order and the Bambergers were concerned about whether they had enough to finish pouring all of the cement pillars that day. The supplier was closed when they arrived. Before her parents left to see the supplier, Cielo Bamberger, 10, said, "I always heard the saying 'cheap as dirt,' but this dirt ain't cheap." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1476389965139-SXZ6QOXE7S0ZLZY5HUQQ/BAMBERGERS_005.JPG Rebuilding After the Floods Jarrell Bamberger talks to his wife Glenda Bamberger about what they need to start building their home while their daughter Esme Bella, 9 months, sits in their shopping cart at Home Depot in Bulverde, Texas on July 10, 2015. They began construction on their new home the next day. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1476389965119-Y3MIHN4VTKY8CMU7EQIO/BAMBERGERS_006.JPG Rebuilding After the Floods Glenda Bamberger, right, and her husband Jarrell Bamberger, left, widen holes dug in their yard in Blanco, Texas, U.S. on July 11, 2015. Their home was destroyed in the floods that occurred in May along the Blanco River in Central Texas. They poured a concrete pillar in each of the twelve holes for the house they are building to replace the one that flooded. The house will be eight feet off the ground in the hope that it will not be affected by future floods on their property. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1476389970848-9EDNM2GSX9R62VU9SHY6/BAMBERGERS_007.JPG Rebuilding After the Floods Glenda Bamberger and her daughter Cielo Bamberger spin around in what will eventually be Cielo's bedroom in their new house in Blanco, Texas, U.S. on August 22, 2015. After receiving donations from several flood and disaster relief organizations from around the country, the Bambergers were able to continue working on the house without having to sell the trailer they are living in. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1476389970561-3HAZL8Z0XD0Y3Z5T9VAQ/BAMBERGERS_008.JPG Rebuilding After the Floods The Bambergers celebrate their youngest daughter Esme Bella Bamberger's first birthday in the kitchen on their first official day living in their new home in Blanco, Texas on October 27, 2015. "We feel beyond happy," Glenda Bamberger said. "I feel like I am going to explode with joy." Standing in the center, this was Glenda Bamberger's father Jose Rivera's first time seeing the house completed. Rivera helped the Bambergers break ground on the house before the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) money ran out and the volunteers and donated materials came in. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1476389973659-ZOWONTQIGZ40NUGIA8OQ/BAMBERGERS_009.JPG Rebuilding After the Floods Serenity Bamberger, right, leans on her sister Cielo Bamberger outside of their new house in Blanco, Texas, U.S. on October 27, 2015. This was the first night that they slept in their new home since its completion. Three days later, the same river that destroyed their first house flooded their property again with several feet of water. Because their new house is high off the ground, the Bambergers and their belongings survived. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1476389977759-YCFOBDSBE2UKKBB2RZ6Q/BAMBERGERS_010.JPG Rebuilding After the Floods While Jarrell Bamberger plays guitar, Serenity Bamberger stands on her parents' bed and reaches out towards her sister Esme Bella Bamberger, who is in Glenda Bamberger's arms, on their first official day living in their new home in Blanco, Texas on October 27, 2015. This was also Esme Bella's first birthday. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1476389976404-MAEFQS7HOKW7GPBFQ9LL/BAMBERGERS_011.JPG Rebuilding After the Floods Serenity Bamberger floats in the Little Blanco River along their property on August 18, 2015 in Blanco, Texas. Three months prior, over Memorial Day, the same river flooded their home and business destroying the majority of the family's belongings and source of income. The Memorial Day weekend flooding, which affected Texas and Oklahoma, killed 24 people according to The Associated Press. Three of those deaths occurred along the Blanco River of which the Little Blanco River is a direct tributary. Despite the toll the river has taken, Bertha Rivera, Serenity's grandmother, said, "The river bed was dry for years, so now that the water is here I tell the girls to take advantage of it all that they can." http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/climate-refugees daily 0.75 2016-10-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1476916894851-MXJTW7QJFP1R43YIRL0F/Title+Slide2.jpg Climate Refugees https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1476916894851-MXJTW7QJFP1R43YIRL0F/Title+Slide2.jpg Climate Refugees https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1476916010718-29YOFMET334EJMO3EMKW/i53117_160419_00006.jpg Climate Refugees https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1476916056604-PWV7FSF183PORYFVY5QH/i53117_160420_01113.jpg Climate Refugees https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1476916079186-1HFUSS1U8ENDSQ1FY74V/i53117_160421_01712.jpg Climate Refugees https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1476916094824-WRGH8V8FLCHBWNIONC8V/i53117_160422_01887.jpg Climate Refugees https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1476916110040-9LV759YKEDDF98UAKVVL/i53117_160419_00168.jpg Climate Refugees https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1476916125833-Y4SXBZC525J5SQPF5D23/i53117_160420_00964.jpg Climate Refugees https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1476916144751-AXPVOTDZU9P8D7DH507Z/i53117_160419_00120.jpg Climate Refugees https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1476916155375-AB1UBQEYYD4NZ5FHX5S6/wenceslausdiptych.jpg Climate Refugees https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1476916170107-1C18910F8A52BK614DXS/diptych2.jpg Climate Refugees https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1476916192462-4XXOMQAAX2XDIONRMUMT/i53117_160421_01324.jpg Climate Refugees https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1476916237104-XGZ2F0AHMQNBEYOXOLCK/i53117_160419_00526.jpg Climate Refugees http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/abortion-on-the-border daily 0.75 2018-03-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1516081745889-HK3CBZMTGRJUH4WC9EVN/POY_commawareness_0001.JPG Abortion on the Border - Abortion on the Border A procedure room in the closed Whole Woman's Health abortion clinic in Austin, Texas shortly after the Supreme Court of the United States' 5-3 ruling on the Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt case regarding Texas' House Bill 2 on June 27, 2016. This was one of many abortion clinics to close across the state because of House Bill 2. On the wall there is a Sojourner Truth quote that reads, "The truth is powerful and it prevails." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1516081745889-HK3CBZMTGRJUH4WC9EVN/POY_commawareness_0001.JPG Abortion on the Border - Abortion on the Border A procedure room in the closed Whole Woman's Health abortion clinic in Austin, Texas shortly after the Supreme Court of the United States' 5-3 ruling on the Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt case regarding Texas' House Bill 2 on June 27, 2016. This was one of many abortion clinics to close across the state because of House Bill 2. On the wall there is a Sojourner Truth quote that reads, "The truth is powerful and it prevails." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1516081743182-WVKQ5QQ1JG73BTO97WIN/POY_commawareness_0002.JPG Abortion on the Border - Abortion on the Border Providers and staff with Whole Woman's Health, plaintiffs in the Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt case, and women's reproductive and abortion rights advocates react to the Supreme Court of the United States' ruling in a closed Whole Woman's Health clinic in Austin, Texas on June 27, 2016. The plaintiffs argued that Texas' House Bill 2, which closed dozens of abortion clinics across Texas including this one, was unconstitutional. The Supreme Court agreed and ruled that Texas cannot place restrictions on abortion providers that pose an undue burden on women trying to access abortions. Upon hearing what is being considered the nation's most significant abortion ruling in a generation, those gathered said they hoped that closed clinics, such as this one, would be able to someday reopen because of this ruling. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1516081760034-JMV0A7IYX1G8PFHFTVIN/POY_commawareness_0003.JPG Abortion on the Border - Abortion on the Border Mercedes Soto cries as she sings a hymn into a megaphone while she and more than a thousand other anti-abortion protestors face off with abortion rights advocates in the intersection in front of the Whole Woman's Health abortion clinic in McAllen, Texas on January 21, 2017. Mercedes, formerly a member of a gang in the Rio Grande Valley, was gang-raped by a rival gang. When she discovered she was pregnant because of the rape, she tried to self abort by ingesting illegal abortion pills, drinking toxic teas, and even having fellow gang members punch her in the stomach. When nothing worked, she went to Whole Woman's Health to get an abortion. She was stopped on her way in by a pro-life sidewalk counselor. Mercedes decided to keep the pregnancy and raise the child as her own. Now she tries to convince other women to do the same. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1516081761588-YR9JMMS9PV4HS3FF0F24/POY_commawareness_0004.JPG Abortion on the Border - Abortion on the Border Kristeena Banda, clinic director, closes the exterior metal gates that protect the front door of the Whole Woman's Health abortion clinic as over a thousand people protest in front of the clinic in McAllen, Texas on January 21, 2017. At one point, the McAllen clinic closed because of House Bill 2, but it was granted a temporary injunction by a federal judge to stay open, because it was the only clinic in the Rio Grande Valley. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1516081777194-8GL9FAIN2T24T179MG5R/POY_commawareness_0005.JPG Abortion on the Border - Abortion on the Border Dr. Bhavik Kumar, one of few abortion providers in Texas, speaks to Marie before providing her a surgical abortion at the Whole Woman's Health in San Antonio, Texas on February 23, 2017. "I am a single mother to a special needs child," Marie said. "It takes a village to raise my son, so I can't imagine bringing another child into that...I feel bad about this decision, but it is for the best. It is for my son." More than 60 percent of women seeking abortions are already mothers. Marie's last name is withheld for her privacy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1516081779955-93SUR09804C1MYOOVMVM/POY_commawareness_0006.JPG Abortion on the Border - Abortion on the Border Yolanda Perez Rittimann, a volunteer at Allied Women's Center, sprays holy water on the television they use to show a graphic anti-abortion video, which includes medically incorrect information, in order to discourage women from getting an abortion. Crisis pregnancy centers are religious organizations that usually do not have medical professionals, but do provide pregnancy tests and ultrasounds and discourage women from getting abortions. In Texas, some of them, not including Allied Women's Center, receive state funding. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1516081789216-OQOJYKBSFR4CES75WZSL/POY_commawareness_0007.JPG Abortion on the Border - Abortion on the Border Mercedes Soto prays with Patricia De Leon, who was due to give birth in September, outside the Sacred Heart Church in McAllen, Texas on June 1, 2017. They were praying for Patricia to find a safer and more secure place to live by the time the child is born in the fall, Patricia said. Mercedes helped Patricia decide not to have a second abortion, but rather to keep the baby, Patricia said. Mercedes gives her car rides to appointments, emotional support, food, and other forms of assistance. In return, she goes with Mercedes to pro-life rallies and protests as an example of what life is like as a saved woman. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1516081795251-F27AZGBUVBAGJ59OTMZN/POY_commawareness_0008.JPG Abortion on the Border - Abortion on the Border A young girl holds her cousin after attending a community gathering, called a junta, hosted by the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, or NLIRH, in La Fruita Colonia in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas on September 15, 2016. Although abortion is often not explicitly discussed due to the stigma surrounding the topic, education on reproductive healthcare and contraception is a priority for women and girls in these communities. Increasing education and access to healthcare through programs like this one reduces demand for abortions later, advocates say. "Because they don't feel valued, they don't feel that they have power. We educate them, so they can discover the power they have," Lucy Felix, an NLIRH promotora, said of the women of the Rio Grande Valley. During a speech in Spanish at the junta that day, Lucy said: "When the clinics close down, that effects us. When we hear that a woman is denied her right to make a decision about her body, this affects us, because that means that they are not respecting our rights...We know that when our communities do not have access to healthcare services that affects our families. That hurts our mothers, that hurts working women like all of us...We know that there are barriers, but we also know that our voice matters. That our voice has to be heard." Their names are withheld for their privacy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1516081808854-HYJ915B25TOGLX81DUY4/POY_commawareness_0009.JPG Abortion on the Border - Abortion on the Border A pro-choice message is graffitied onto a pro-life sign in the field behind the Whole Woman's Health abortion clinic in McAllen, Texas on April 10, 2017. Anti-abortion signage is prevalent on signs, cars, and elsewhere throughout the Rio Grande Valley, a region that sits along the border between Texas and Mexico. The tension over abortion in the largely Catholic, low-income community is palpable. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1516081815932-W258GPFEGZAI2QJO3YY1/POY_commawareness_0010.JPG Abortion on the Border - Abortion on the Border A group of women dressed as characters from the book The Handmaid’s Tale participate in a protest for reproductive rights at the Texas State Capitol for the first day of the legislature’s special session on July 18, 2017 in Austin, Texas. “While the Texas legislature is in session, no woman’s health is safe,” Stephanie Martin, one of the handmaids, said. “People are confronted with wondering, ‘why are you bringing this terrible story to life?’ They actually talk to us and ask questions when we wear the capes.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1516081829281-ECQDWW13IIHXNXVCIW18/POY_commawareness_0011.JPG Abortion on the Border - Abortion on the Border Jess, 25, holds hands with her mother Aisme as she prepares to undergo an abortion performed by Dr. Bhavik Kumar at the Whole Woman's Health clinic in San Antonio, Texas on June 6, 2017. Aisme drove Jess from their home in Del Rio to the clinic, because the illegal abortion pills that they made two trips to Mexico to get did not work. They drove 300 miles roundtrip to get to the abortion clinic and had to take time off of work to get the procedure. Jess was out of work for two weeks as a result. Aisme twice drove Jess to Mexico to buy misoprostol pills, an ulcer medication known to induce abortions, in order to avoid having to drive to San Antonio for the costly procedure. Using misoprostol to induce an abortion at home is illegal, but in Jess' case the pills did not work. Dr. Kumar suggested that, because the Mexican pharmacy was not regulated, she may have not gotten the same type or strength medicine she thought she received. Although she was 9 weeks along and could still opt for a medical abortion at Whole Woman's Health, she and Dr. Kumar decided that, because the misoprostol from Mexico did not work, she would be a better candidate for a surgical abortion. Aisme and Jess' full names are being withheld for their privacy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1516081838302-7TNMQMBT259ICP9CXKZD/POY_commawareness_0012.JPG Abortion on the Border - Abortion on the Border Orlando Sanchez leads the family's nightly prayer as Delilah, Samson, and Mercedes Soto sit with him at the dinner table in their home in Edinburg, Texas on April 10, 2017. Before becoming a pro-life advocate, Mercedes made several attempts to self-induce an abortion. Once she decided to go through with the pregnancy and reconnected with Orlando, he carried the small rubber fetus, which is perched on the crucifix, in his pocket for the duration of the pregnancy as a way to bond with the baby. "If I can keep my baby after being gang-raped, anyone can," Mercedes said. "You got pregnant on a bad date, or with somebody you love? There's just no excuse. If you lay with a man and get pregnant, that's your fault. To murder your unborn baby is a sin against humanity." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1516081852720-AUKPJE6163EGYHGA22FZ/POY_commawareness_0013.JPG Abortion on the Border - Abortion on the Border Orlando Sanchez holds a Noah's Ark themed birthday cake as Mercedes Soto holds her son Samson during his first birthday party, held on the 44th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, in their backyard in Edinburg, Texas on January 22, 2017. When self-inducing failed, Mercedes sought an abortion after being gang-raped and becoming homeless. However, she decided to go through with the pregnancy when she met a pro-life sidewalk counselor as she walked into the Whole Woman's Health in nearby McAllen, Texas. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1516081860543-6I98ES6TPLNKEZ9ZI25K/POY_commawareness_0014.JPG Abortion on the Border - Abortion on the Border Mercedes Soto, a former gang member who got pregnant after being assaulted, holds her son Samson at their home in Edinburg, Texas on October 18, 2016. "My heart burns with fire. I fought for my son's life and he saved my soul," she said. She tried to self-abort through pills, toxic teas, and other methods, but none worked. Still seeking an abortion, she went to the McAllen Whole Woman's Health abortion clinic when a pro-life sidewalk counselor convinced her to keep the pregnancy. She has since become a pro-life activist, taking Samson and his sister Delilah to abortion protests. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1516081874188-A37042060OX48VR6HJUV/POY_commawareness_0015.JPG Abortion on the Border - Abortion on the Border Kristen, 18, waits five hours for a bus back to Del Rio, Texas at the Greyhound Station in downtown San Antonio, Texas after getting a medical abortion at the Whole Woman's Health clinic on March 17, 2017. When her period was a week late, she and her 20-year-old boyfriend "freaked out." They had been together for about three months and both are in the military. They did not make enough money to afford a child and, Kristen said, were not ready for parenthood. She has dreams of using the money from her military service to go to college and become a psychologist. Because more than half of Texas' abortion clinics have closed, many women find they have to travel extensively to obtain the procedure. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1516081875010-MBGCBHHHZSULW4SZG3YY/POY_commawareness_0016.JPG Abortion on the Border - Abortion on the Border Kristen, 18, looks out the window of a Greyhound bus during the over four-hour-long ride back to Del Rio, Texas after getting a medical abortion at the Whole Woman's Health clinic in San Antonio on March 17, 2017. She did not know to tell the clinic that she came from farther than 100 miles, so she had to endure the 24-hour waiting period that Texas law requires between the consultation appointment and the abortion. Because of that she had to spend over $200 on a hotel room and, because she is in the Air Force and does not have a car, she had to take a nine hour round-trip bus ride from Del Rio to the closest clinic in San Antonio. "The only thing that sucks is having to wait two days," Kristen said. "I've been through some serious stuff in my life. When I was 10, my father killed my mother. So, no, this isn't going to destroy me, no way." Her last name is withheld for her privacy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1516081885736-49ZYPSVQM5YW3SD2LRML/POY_commawareness_0017.JPG Abortion on the Border - Abortion on the Border Sofia Peña sits for a portrait in a bedroom with her daughter at her home in McAllen, Texas on May 18, 2017. Sofia was in a rocky relationship with a boyfriend when she became pregnant with her daughter. She desperately wanted an abortion, but her boyfriend was vehemently against it, so she continued the pregnancy. She took to parenting, much to her surprise, but struggled to raise her daughter without the father's consistent involvement. Before being able to get out of the relationship, she became pregnant again. This time she got an abortion, realizing she was not able to financially support a second child, having a cashier's job. Now she helps run La Frontera Fund, which helps to fund travel to and from clinics for women seeking abortions who cannot afford them. "Being in the Rio Grande Valley, everyone is very Catholic," Sofia said. "We're not unique in that way, but it does present problems that are very specific to really religious areas, such as the shame around women's sexuality in general. We don't talk about sex. Families are not going to tell their girls to get birth control. Support is really necessary and stigma is a really big deal here...even for people like me. In high school I already knew about contraceptives...but I wasn't really taught about the emotional and physical abuse that led to me not really standing up for my rights, even though I knew them." Her daughter's name is withheld for her privacy. http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/migrant-caravan daily 0.75 2026-02-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550974140764-T0ATFA8RMWGCFMFU8MX6/asylumfinal_001.jpg The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans - The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans Throughout 2018 thousands of Central American migrants made the journey from their home countries, often traveling more than 2500 miles across Mexico in caravans to reach the U.S. border. Unsure of what to do next as asylum processes constantly seem to change in the news, they have to decide whether to wait, to turn back, or to cross illegally, often with children in tow. However, if they are lucky, once they cross, the most uncertain, and longest part of their journey – the asylum process – has just begun. Rodney Scott, chief of the Border Patrol's San Diego sector, looks out towards Tijuana, Mexico, right, as Border Patrol agents respond to a call about people crossing in the distance on April 25, 2018 in San Diego, California. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550974140764-T0ATFA8RMWGCFMFU8MX6/asylumfinal_001.jpg The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans - The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans Throughout 2018 thousands of Central American migrants made the journey from their home countries, often traveling more than 2500 miles across Mexico in caravans to reach the U.S. border. Unsure of what to do next as asylum processes constantly seem to change in the news, they have to decide whether to wait, to turn back, or to cross illegally, often with children in tow. However, if they are lucky, once they cross, the most uncertain, and longest part of their journey – the asylum process – has just begun. Rodney Scott, chief of the Border Patrol's San Diego sector, looks out towards Tijuana, Mexico, right, as Border Patrol agents respond to a call about people crossing in the distance on April 25, 2018 in San Diego, California. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550974141074-6A1YP1TM7PQHHH3RWF3N/asylumfinal_002.jpg The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans - The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans SANTIAGO NILTEPEC, MEXICO - OCTOBER 30: Dozens of migrants traveling in a caravan towards the United States border run behind a truck and help each other climb inside on a highway in Santiago Niltepec, Mexico on their way to Juchitan, Mexico on October 30, 2018. The truck did not stop moving when the migrants started climbing in. The migrant caravan was traveling about 30 miles a day, so people were desperate to catch rides however they could in order to avoid walking such long distances every day. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550974142441-TV8J4EQUIY4VEFH4KO60/asylumfinal_003.jpg The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans - The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans LA VENTOSA, MEXICO - OCTOBER 29: Bessi Zelaya, Johana Hernandez, 16, and Ana Lizeth Velasquez, stand in the road and try to help Keila Savioll Mejia, 21, as her daughter Camila Savioll Mejia, 4, throws a tantrum and refuses to walk any farther in San Pedro Tapanatepec, Mexico on October 29, 2018. They are walking north together among the thousands of migrants traveling in a caravan to the United States border. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550974142605-TTQ50VGZQQJM0MTQQBOH/asylumfinal_004.jpg The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans - The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans JUCHITAN, MEXICO - OCTOBER 30: Thousands of migrants traveling in a caravan towards the United States border rest after traveling more than 30 miles to Juchitan, Mexico on October 30, 2018. Some hitched rides for parts of the journey while others walked. This night they stayed in a stadium complex, which was turned into a temporary camp. Thousands slept here in rows, often only inches apart from each other. Medical care and food were provided. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1689692966357-A4YS6QYFI05T6BVNK8DH/CVH_3863.JPG The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans - The Road to Asylum JUCHITAN, MEXICO - OCTOBER 30:Brandon Garcia, right, 21, watches his son Caleb Isaac Flores, 7, center, who broke both of his arms recently while playing with other migrant children, in Juchitan, Mexico on October 30, 2018. Thousands of people are a part of the caravan which is heading north to the United States border. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550974144251-R5YXBKVPE094RF5I8KV8/asylumfinal_006.jpg The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans - The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans SAN PEDRO TAPANATEPEC, - OCTOBER 28: Some of the thousands of migrants traveling in a caravan towards the United States border stand in line for food in San Pedro Tapanatepec, Mexico on October 28, 2018. Often the men stand in line for food after the families and children have been fed. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550974634838-LTBK6W7TH9JUPTVZ9O2S/CVH_4863.jpg The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans - The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans Thousands of migrants rest before they continue their walk north towards the United States border in Juchitan, Mexico on November 1, 2018. To get to the border, they are hitching rides on trucks, taking buses, and often walking long distances. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550974622667-MU2E5W7M13QHCJVSW4AT/CVH_2938.jpg The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans - The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans Almairis Guillen and her son Miguel de Jesus Oseguera, 4, ride on the wheel well of a tanker truck along a highway in Santiago Niltepec, Mexico on their way to Juchitan, Mexico on October 30, 2018. Traveling as a part of the caravan of thousands of migrants, the Honduran mother of five is hoping to make it to the U.S. to ask for asylum. “The truth is that I don’t know if they will help us,” she said. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550974145864-HRJF2FO37PAGHYUOTSDD/asylumfinal_007.jpg The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans - The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans SANTIAGO NILTEPEC, MEXICO - OCTOBER 30: Some of the thousands of migrants traveling in a caravan towards the United States border walk along the side of a highway while others hitch a ride in a truck in Santiago Niltepec, Mexico on their way to Juchitan, Mexico on October 30, 2018. While hundreds caught rides from local passersby or leapt onto passing trucks, those methods were risky for many families with small children, so they often walked straggling behind the rest of the group. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550974145922-M5FQBH6U49BEQK7E1EKN/asylumfinal_008.jpg The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans - The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans JUCHITAN, MEXICO - OCTOBER 31: Keneth Arguijo Gonzalez, 10, stands with his feet wrapped to cover the open blisters and heat damage that are affecting his feet as the migrant caravan he is traveling with rests in Juchitan, Mexico on October 31, 2018. Thousands of people are a part of the caravan which is heading north to the United States border. To get to the border, they are hitching rides on trucks, taking buses, and often walking long distances. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550974147455-HJB6S5ICUNVA9MH827PA/asylumfinal_009.jpg The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans - The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans SAN PEDRO TAPANATEPEC, - OCTOBER 28: Some of the thousands of migrants traveling in a caravan towards the United States border play and wash off in the Rio Novillero in San Pedro Tapanatepec, Mexico on October 28, 2018. Occasionally, the caravan would remain in a town for an extra day along their route to rest, wash, and take care of any medical issues people may have incurred along the journey. The scene was lighthearted and playful, despite exhaustion and heat. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550974147507-UXOKE3YUA5BHB3WHP9HJ/asylumfinal_010.jpg The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans - The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS - AUGUST 15: Border Patrol agent Robert Rodriguez watches a group of smugglers in Mexico from the United States side of the Rio Grande River in Hidalgo County, Texas on August 15, 2018. A young smuggler paddled a raft across the river carrying Cecilia Ulloa, 25, and her son, Darwin, 13. The Hondurans were crossing in hopes of seeking asylum in the United States. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550974149201-SUM2JBTJJ2GYGBVOXSWY/asylumfinal_011.jpg The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans - The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans TIJUANA, MEXICO - DECEMBER 2: A group of migrants, including a child, cross the border fence illegally to present themselves to Border Patrol agents on December 2, 2018 in Tijuana, Mexico. Many migrants who are a part of the migrant caravan have chosen to cross illegally and ask for asylum rather than wait weeks, or possibly even months, in a shelter until their turn comes to legally present themselves to ask for asylum at a border checkpoint. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1689692942561-5YGI5RSQH7HBQ7T5OY78/CVH_0746.JPG The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans - The Road to Asylum EL PASO, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 22:Migrant families walk around the area with mylar blankets in order to stay warm while waiting for about an hour to be processed and transported by Border Patrol in El Paso, Texas on February 22, 2019. The mylar blankets were distributed by Border Patrol agents to protect against the near-freezing temperatures while the migrants wait to be processed and transported to a nearby holding facility. The group of 64 migrants walked across the Rio Grande river and presented themselves to Border Patrol agents near the BNSF Rail Yard on the western edge of downtown El Paso. Many of the Central American migrants are families asking for asylum in the United States. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550974149375-3XJQDO11N729FWPWT5I7/asylumfinal_012.jpg The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans - The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans MISSION, TEXAS - AUGUST 15: A group of men who crossed the U.S. border illegally and tried to run from Border Patrol agents are detained in Mission, Texas on August 15, 2018. The Border Patrol used helicopters, cameras, and agents on foot to track the men as they tried to flee. The men were quickly detained, given an electrolyte beverage, processed and placed in a van for transport. Much of the national narrative around asylum is muddled with the conversation about illegal immigration. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550974150841-3GW3STLK68HJ9FRHIORQ/asylumfinal_013.jpg The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans - The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans TIJUANA, MEXICO - APRIL 26: Elvia Ramos, right, looks down the street as her partner Carlos Aldana holds their daughter Fernanda Aldana-Ramos, 1, at the Movimiento Juventud 2000 shelter on April 26, 2018 in Tijuana, Mexico. Ramos and her family fled Honduras after two of Aldana's brothers were killed and their lives were threatened. Hundreds of migrants from Central America traveled for about a month across Mexico to reach the United States border. A few days later they went to the San Ysidro border crossing south of San Diego, California, where they and many of the migrants in the caravan sought asylum. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550974151110-4V7TM3CD8X1KOLEQ01GO/asylumfinal_014.jpg The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans - The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans TIJUANA, MEXICO - MAY 14: Ingrid Hernandez sits in silence in her friend Elvia Aldana's tent in the Movimiento Juventud 2000 shelter in Tijuana, Mexico after trying and failing to reach her husband Misael Bonilla in the immigration detention center where he and their son, Leonel, were being held on May 14, 2018. She was trying to find out if they were going to be released soon, because she did not want to present herself and her other two children at the border until she knew Misael and Leonel were safe and with her father in the Bronx, New York. While sitting in the tent, she talked to Elvia about her concerns and their plan to walk to the San Ysidro border crossing to find out how long they needed to wait to present themselves and ask for asylum. Ingrid was conflicted because she did not want to cross without hearing from Misael, but she also did not want her family to miss their place in the waiting list to ask for asylum. If she decided to postpone, the three of them would have to stay in the shelter at least another week. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550974152404-7K2HR5D8OVC307ZF6BHG/asylumfinal_015.jpg The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans - The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans TIJUANA, MEXICO - NOVEMBER 30: Standing water remains after heavy rains flooded the stadium complex where members of the migrant caravan were staying in tents on November 30, 2018 in Tijuana, Mexico. Partially due to the squalid conditions, the thousands of migrants with the caravan were moved to a different shelter across the city. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550974152859-731R2ZNOGRDU9H7MHRWY/asylumfinal_016.jpg The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans - The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans TIJUANA, MEXICO - MAY 1: Evelyn Vega lays her head on Elmer Zelaya Gomez while their daughter Nayely Vega, 7, rests next to them under a tarp that is attached to the bars on the edge of the San Ysidro border crossing on May 1, 2018 in Tijuana, Mexico. They are among the group of Central American migrants waiting to walk to the United States border and have their cases processed. Stripes representing the Mexican flag loom over their heads as if a reminder of how far they still have to go. "We want to start another life, but it is not easy," Gomez said. A gang in his home country of El Salvador killed his son in February and threatened his family, he said. Hundreds of migrants from Central America traveled for about a month across Mexico to reach the United States border. Many of the migrants will seek asylum. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550974154119-9499LMUH0F2SN62T9VEG/asylumfinal_017.jpg The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans - The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans TIJUANA, MEXICO - APRIL 29: A group of asylum seekers waiting to be processed sit in a holding area at the San Ysidro point of entry in Tijuana, Mexico on April 29, 2018. They raised their hands for blankets. The holding area was outside on concrete and the night was cold. Once this group was put in the holding area, they knew they were going to be the next asylum seekers to be processed. Hundreds were waiting in a queue behind them. Some would be in Tijuana shelters waiting for weeks to be processed. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550974154602-J2TQK21H757JHAF2QDVT/asylumfinal_018.jpg The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans - The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans TIJUANA, MEXICO - DECEMBER 1: Pedro Jimenez, 35, who is fleeing violence in Honduras, tries to climb the border fence at the beach on December 1, 2018 in Tijuana, Mexico. He is trying to get himself and his ten-year-old son across the border to ask for asylum, because his brother was murdered in Honduras. He and his son tried to cross at a different part of the fence, but were approached by someone hiding in the bushes and told they had to pay. They emerged from the area visibly frightened. Pedro was testing the fence to see how best to cross, but did not make it across that night. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550974155744-JZV4K6CA9QSGO15OM740/asylumfinal_019.jpg The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans - The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans TIJUANA, MEXICO - NOVEMBER 30: Members of the migrant caravan get onto buses to be transported from Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, where the thousands of migrants were staying in tents outside, to a new shelter in a vacant event space called El Barretal on November 29, 2018 in Tijuana, Mexico. They were transported to El Barretal, which is located significantly farther from the border. Advocates said that the area around El Barretal had a concerning amount of gang activity that would threaten asylum seekers fleeing gang violence. A few weeks later, two migrant teens were murdered in Tijuana traveling between shelters to see friends. Gang involvement has not been confirmed. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550974156033-P3A7HT7WH43E8Y0N5KW9/asylumfinal_020.jpg The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans - The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MAY 10: Carlos Aldana looks as his daughter Alejandra Aldana-Ramos points to the Seattle skyline, which she was seeing for the first time, while on the Greyhound bus to Seattle, Washington on May 10, 2018. Carlos and Alejandra were released from an immigration detention center to go live with Carlos' family in Seattle, while they wait for their asylum case to be processed. Some of the family in Seattle are also waiting for their asylum cases to be processed. Carlos and Alejandra took a Greyhound bus from San Diego, CA straight to Seattle, WA after their release and relied on the kindness of other passengers and bus station employees to get on the proper buses. Many provided them with water and food along the way as well. The journey took more than 30 hours. They have since settled into life with their family in Seattle and are hoping to soon welcome more of their family, who are in Tijuana with the second caravan waiting for the chance for their asylum cases to be processed. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/5c71fc801905f442e8f76352/64b6ac9f93941a4f739da9f1/1770720123232/CVH_7917.JPG The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1689691038895-H86LY9GCDBO8KYVFI7MO/DSC09477.jpg The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans - The Road to Asylum MATAMOROS, MEXICO - May 13:Migrants who had been waiting on the Gateway International Bridge in hopes of getting interviews for asylum in the United States were told to turn back to Mexico to wait as lightning crashes and rain floods the area on May 13, 2023 in Matamoros, Mexico. Many have been waiting months in the camp to get their asylum claim processed legally. When Title 42 expired and Title 8 went into effect, the repercussions for crossing the border illegally became more severe. The flow of migrants crossing the Rio Grande River slowed significantly. However, the conditions at the encampment are squalid and the migrants, especially those seeking asylum, say they have nowhere to turn. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1689690841078-N8M703JJ5SOL19DP1NXX/DSC07766.jpg The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans - The Road to Asylum MATAMOROS, MEXICO - May 11:Alexander Nova holds Santiago Quintero, 6, as migrants traverse the Rio Grande River in order to cross the United States border as Title 42 expires on May 11, 2023 in Matamoros, Mexico. Title 42 is a Trump-era policy that allows border agents to quickly turn away migrants seeking asylum due to COVID-related concerns. The policy expires at 11:59 pm on May 11, 2023. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1689691128765-9OOTLV6B177XR5RZ1ZA1/DSC02531.jpg The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans - The Road to Asylum MATAMOROS, MEXICO - May 11:Migrants try to keep a baby from drowning as they cross the Rio Grande River to the United States border as Title 42 expires on May 11, 2023 in Matamoros, Mexico. Title 42 is a Trump-era policy that allows border agents to quickly turn away migrants seeking asylum due to COVID-related concerns. The policy expires at 11:59 pm on May 11, 2023. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1689690828402-TRRTYHONWG1ORHCUVURU/DSC08448.jpg The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans - The Road to Asylum MATAMOROS, MEXICO - May 12:Migrants stand at a river crossing point along the Rio Grande River near the United States border and converse jokingly with officials as Title 42 expires on May 12, 2023 in Matamoros, Mexico. Some will cross the river and others will use an app to apply for asylum and wait in camps like this one often for months. Title 42 is a Trump-era policy that allows border agents to quickly turn away migrants seeking asylum due to COVID-related concerns. The policy expires at 11:59 pm on May 11, 2023. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1689691046567-GVVZH3PRCJQIU58VGRLS/DSC09435.jpg The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans - The Road to Asylum MATAMOROS, MEXICO - May 13:Freddie Castro, 46, holds his daughter Lorena Castro, 23, while they both cry about their predicament as they wait with thousands of migrants in an encampment on May 13, 2023 in Matamoros, Mexico. Lorena is concerned about the future for her two young children. Many have been waiting months in the camp to get their asylum claim processed legally. When Title 42 expired and Title 8 went into effect, the repercussions for crossing the border illegally became more severe. The flow of migrants crossing the Rio Grande River slowed significantly. However, the conditions at the encampment are squalid and the migrants, especially those seeking asylum, say they have nowhere to turn. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1689690975560-ZN6T4E81QTUTFOF9CXQB/DSC08862.jpg The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans - The Road to Asylum MATAMOROS, MEXICO - May 12:Miley Vasquez, 9, waits with her family in hopes of getting a credible fear interview, a first step in the process of seeking asylum, at the United States border on May 12, 2023 in Matamoros, Mexico. Title 42 was a Trump-era policy that allows border agents to quickly turn away migrants seeking asylum due to COVID-related concerns. The policy expired at 11:59 pm on May 11, 2023. When it expired, Title 8 went into effect. In Title 8, Mexicans can once again seek asylum in the United States. Vasquez’s family said that gang violence in Acapulco, Mexico was driving them from their home so as soon as Title 42 lifted, they wanted to try for asylum. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1689690989603-UN6J1KMLOWDRKP8Y0Z4T/DSC08691.jpg The Road to Asylum: Inside the Migrant Caravans - The Road to Asylum MATAMOROS, MEXICO - May 13:Thousands of migrants wait in an encampment as lightning crashes and rain floods the area on May 13, 2023 in Matamoros, Mexico. Many have been waiting months in the camp to get their asylum claim processed legally. When Title 42 expired and Title 8 went into effect, the repercussions for crossing the border illegally became more severe. The flow of migrants crossing the Rio Grande River slowed significantly. However, the conditions at the encampment are squalid and the migrants, especially those seeking asylum, say they have nowhere to turn. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/seeking-asylum-in-america daily 0.75 2019-02-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550974781449-E6S6L066KQE732EEPUHB/WP_carlos_001.jpg Seeking Asylum in America - Migrant Father: Seeking Asylum in America After both of his brothers were murdered and his family's land was forcibly taken by a gang, Carlos Aldana and his family fled Honduras. Traveling with several hundred other Central Americans in one of the first migrant caravans of 2018, his heart was set on getting his family asylum in the United States and living with his brother and sisters in Seattle, Washington. To do so without either being detained indefinitely or deported, he had to temporarily leave his wife Elvia and one of his daughters behind to wait in a shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. If there was to be any hope of the four of them having a life together in America, Carlos and Alejandra had to pave the way for their family together. This is the story of that journey and all of the uncertainty that ensued. Elvia Ramos, right, looks down the street as her partner Carlos Aldana holds their daughter Fernanda Aldana-Ramos, 1, at the Movimiento Juventud 2000 shelter on April 26, 2018 in Tijuana, Mexico. Elvia and her family fled Honduras after two of Carlos' brothers were killed and their lives were threatened. Carlos said that they were in hiding for months before joining a caravan. Hundreds of migrants from Central America traveled for about a month across Mexico to reach the United States border. Traveling as a large group is considered a safer way to make the journey through the treacherous terrain and various cartel territories of Mexico. A few days later, the group marched to the San Ysidro border crossing south of San Diego, California, where many of the migrants hoped to seek asylum. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550974781449-E6S6L066KQE732EEPUHB/WP_carlos_001.jpg Seeking Asylum in America - Migrant Father: Seeking Asylum in America After both of his brothers were murdered and his family's land was forcibly taken by a gang, Carlos Aldana and his family fled Honduras. Traveling with several hundred other Central Americans in one of the first migrant caravans of 2018, his heart was set on getting his family asylum in the United States and living with his brother and sisters in Seattle, Washington. To do so without either being detained indefinitely or deported, he had to temporarily leave his wife Elvia and one of his daughters behind to wait in a shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. If there was to be any hope of the four of them having a life together in America, Carlos and Alejandra had to pave the way for their family together. This is the story of that journey and all of the uncertainty that ensued. Elvia Ramos, right, looks down the street as her partner Carlos Aldana holds their daughter Fernanda Aldana-Ramos, 1, at the Movimiento Juventud 2000 shelter on April 26, 2018 in Tijuana, Mexico. Elvia and her family fled Honduras after two of Carlos' brothers were killed and their lives were threatened. Carlos said that they were in hiding for months before joining a caravan. Hundreds of migrants from Central America traveled for about a month across Mexico to reach the United States border. Traveling as a large group is considered a safer way to make the journey through the treacherous terrain and various cartel territories of Mexico. A few days later, the group marched to the San Ysidro border crossing south of San Diego, California, where many of the migrants hoped to seek asylum. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550974783549-U7HLF3NM43U6YSPMG4H7/WP_carlos_002.jpg Seeking Asylum in America - Migrant Father: Seeking Asylum in America Elvia Ramos and her daughter, Fernanda, 1, rest at the Movimiento Juventud 2000 shelter in Tijuana, Mexico on May 12, 2018. She stayed in this tent for a few weeks while waiting for her turn to go to the San Ysidro border crossing and ask for asylum. Her partner, Carlos Aldana, and their other daughter, Alejandra, crossed first and, after being released, traveled to the Seattle area to stay with family and wait for Elvia and Fernanda. Just as the news about child separation was breaking, migrants recognized that the surest way to keep the patriarch of the family from being separated and detained indefinitely was for each parent to cross separately with one of their children. As in Carlos' case, the father and oldest child often presented themselves first, went through detention and, because they had a child with them, were quickly released. Then they would get to their family and call back to the mother to let her know that they were safe. Then, as soon as she could, the mother and the other child or children would cross. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550974790584-DE90YSU5RAYPARNRPWB5/WP_carlos_003.jpg Seeking Asylum in America - Migrant Father: Seeking Asylum in America Shortly after being released from an immigration detention center, Carlos Aldana feeds his daughter Alejandra as he looks out of the window of a Greyhound bus from Los Angeles, California on the way to live with his brother in Seattle, Washington on May 10, 2018. Because he had almost no money, he and Alejandra relied on the generosity of strangers for water, food and directions to the correct buses along the way. Plenty of strangers were happy to help the lonely, anxious father. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550974792476-H5MUEZX5WBRBV71MF1LX/WP_carlos_004.jpg Seeking Asylum in America - Migrant Father: Seeking Asylum in America Carlos Aldana holds hands with his daughter, Alejandra, as they explore a park in Seattle, Washington during one of their first outings in the United States on May 11, 2018. Carlos had not seen his brother Rodolpho and sister Ysenia, who both also made the long journey from Honduras to Seattle, in a long time. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550974806523-GTCAYY8ANZ51YD7T5MB4/WP_carlos_005.jpg Seeking Asylum in America - Migrant Father: Seeking Asylum in America Carlos Aldana shows his ankle tracker to his family at his brother Rodolfo Aldana's house in Seattle, Washington on May 10, 2018 shortly after he and Alejandra arrived from the bus station and were reunited with his brother and sister. He has to wear the ankle tracker constantly while his asylum case is being processed, which could take months or years. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550974805006-T812MRWH7TQ21KZ8U6B0/WP_carlos_006.jpg Seeking Asylum in America - Migrant Father: Seeking Asylum in America Carlos Aldana’s brother Rodolfo Aldana, left, talks about what size and style of pants he thought would work best for Carlos as he took Carlos and his daughter shopping for clothes at Ross Dress for Less after their arrival in Seattle, Washington on May 11, 2018. After traveling for a month through Mexico in the migrant caravan, presenting themselves at the border to ask for asylum, being detained and then traveling north, they only had the clothes on their backs when they arrived. Rodolfo paid for the $220 in clothes for the two of them as a gift. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550974812478-3NRTHD1Z7SM8TFJDGKMZ/WP_carlos_007.jpg Seeking Asylum in America - Migrant Father: Seeking Asylum in America Alejandra sits on a bed in Rodolfo's apartment while Carlos' sister Ysenia Aldana does Alejandra's hair before the family leaves the house to run errands and go to church in Seattle, Washington on May 11, 2018. Ysenia made the journey a year before Carlos and is also waiting for her asylum case to be processed. While Alejandra waits for her mother Elvia and sister Fernanda to cross the border, Ysenia helps Carlos with some of the tasks that Elvia would normally do. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550974818635-UT05UG0I0L459ZP4FIUG/WP_carlos_008.jpg Seeking Asylum in America - Migrant Father: Seeking Asylum in America Attending church for the first time since crossing the border and being released from immigration detention, Carlos holds Alejandra and prays with his brother Rodolfo and his sister Ysenia in Seattle, Washington on May 11, 2018. They said they prayed for Elvia, Fernanda, and the rest of their family who were still in Mexico waiting to cross. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550974827889-VMQOICVGO76JF40E2QFA/WP_carlos_009.jpg Seeking Asylum in America - Migrant Father: Seeking Asylum in America After getting off the phone with Elvia in Mexico and with his parents in Honduras, Carlos rubbed his eyes and curled up next to Alejandra at Rodolpho's apartment in Seattle, Washington on May 11, 2018. Carlos said that his parents, who lost two sons to gang violence, are too old and frail to make the journey to the United States. He is not sure when he will see them again. Meanwhile, now that Elvia knows that Carlos and Alejandra are safe, she and Fernanda will eagerly and nervously wait their turn to ask for asylum at the San Ysidro border crossing. She said that mutilated bodies were found behind the shelter where she and Fernanda were staying, so Carlos worried about their safety, about whether they would pass the credible fear interview, and how they would make the journey to Seattle. All he could do was wait. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550974828761-7XFA263XHVUKQIFXC3CX/WP_carlos_010.jpg Seeking Asylum in America - Migrant Father: Seeking Asylum in America Carlos pushes Alejandra on a tricycle outside of his sister's home where they and several other members of their family are staying in a suburb outside of Seattle, Washington on July 24, 2018. A Honduran flag hangs from the side of the house as a reminder of where they came from and how far they have traveled in their search for a safe home for their family. Carlos and his family reside in the Seattle area waiting for their first court date in their asyum cases. There is a significant backlog of asylum cases, which means that it could be months or even years before Carlos and his family have an answer. http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/abused-by-the-badge daily 0.75 2025-04-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745530685359-MKRU5DV34GFJO0EJ1H6P/008_PORTFOLIO.JPG Abused by the Badge - Abused by the Badge NEW ORLEANS, LA - May 4:Nicole poses for a portrait behind a curtain to obscure her face at her home in New Orleans, LA on May 4, 2023. Nicole was 14 when Officer Rodney Vicknair, then 53, of the New Orleans Police Department took her to the hospital for a rape examination after she said her 17-year-old friend forced himself on her. Four months later, Vicknair was instead arrested for also sexually assaulting Nicole. A Washington Post investigation found that at least 1,800 state and local police officers were charged with crimes involving child abuse from 2005 through 2022. Abusive officers most frequently targeted girls between 13 and 15 years old and regularly met them while on the job. The victim is being identified by her middle name only, to protect her identity. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/TWP) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745530685359-MKRU5DV34GFJO0EJ1H6P/008_PORTFOLIO.JPG Abused by the Badge - Abused by the Badge NEW ORLEANS, LA - May 4:Nicole poses for a portrait behind a curtain to obscure her face at her home in New Orleans, LA on May 4, 2023. Nicole was 14 when Officer Rodney Vicknair, then 53, of the New Orleans Police Department took her to the hospital for a rape examination after she said her 17-year-old friend forced himself on her. Four months later, Vicknair was instead arrested for also sexually assaulting Nicole. A Washington Post investigation found that at least 1,800 state and local police officers were charged with crimes involving child abuse from 2005 through 2022. Abusive officers most frequently targeted girls between 13 and 15 years old and regularly met them while on the job. The victim is being identified by her middle name only, to protect her identity. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/TWP) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745530683572-A3UH644MAL8LJS2XTR19/009_PORTFOLIO.JPG Abused by the Badge - Abused by the Badge MAYPEARL, TEXAS - DECEMBER 5:Mallory Meyer looks over her shoulder as she passes a police vehicle on December 5, 2023 in Maypearl, Texas. Her father died by suicide after being harassed by Kevin Coffey.(Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745530684869-T7V4Q6IJ587BCAUG0UR7/010_PORTFOLIO.JPG Abused by the Badge - Abused by the Badge ROSHARON, TEXAS - DECEMBER 8:Kevin Coffey participates in an interview from Texas Department of Criminal Justice prison on December 8, 2023 in Rosharon, Texas. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745530686127-UAUZCVCT9OJ8WL1UUILG/011_PORTFOLIO.JPG Abused by the Badge - Abused by the Badge TUSKEGEE, AL - December 13:Alex reacts in fear to a nearby passing siren sound as she walks around the building that used to house the police department where Officer Levy Kelly worked when he assaulted her near her home in Tuskegee, AL on December 13, 2023. Alex was harassed and raped by Officer Levy Kelly, but the case was delayed for more than ten years and then dropped. Despite Alex not being the only victim, the officer remains free. “This is a place where police can take girls and rape them and no one would know,” she said of the building. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/TWP) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745530686417-4A5HA9OWYW42CGVOPKZ8/012_PORTFOLIO.JPG Abused by the Badge - Abused by the Badge TUSKEGEE, AL - December 13:Alex closes her eyes as she talks about being harassed by local police officers at her home in Tuskegee, AL on December 13, 2023. Alex was harassed and raped by Officer Levy Kelly, but the case was delayed for more than ten years and then dropped. Despite Alex not being the only victim, the officer remains free. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/TWP) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745530687322-L93MQCNRREC3HV3I64NR/013_PORTFOLIO.JPG Abused by the Badge - Abused by the Badge SOUTH BEND, IN - June 8:A parking lot where Anne, who is being identified by her middle name, was assaulted is seen on June 8, 2023 in South Bend, IN. Anne, who wanted to become a police officer, was 16 years old when South Bend Police Officer Tim Barber started to frequent the Chick-fil-A where she worked offering to mentor her and give her rides home in his patrol car. He sent 1,300 messages to her, sexually harassed her at her work and assaulted her in his cop car in uniform. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/TWP) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745530687427-PBPX2GP314K885BNRH7O/014_PORTFOLIO.JPG Abused by the Badge - Abused by the Badge SOUTH BEND, IN - June 9:Anne, who is being identified by her middle name, shows on June 9, 2023 a Snapchat video she took of South Bend Police Officer Tim Barber while she was working at Chik-fil-A in South Bend, IN. Anne, who wanted to become a police officer, was 16 years old when South Bend Police Officer Tim Barber started to frequent the Chick-fil-A where she worked offering to mentor her and give her rides home in his patrol car. He sent 1,300 messages to her, sexually harassed her at her work and assaulted her in his cop car in uniform. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/TWP) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745530690665-3NL4ZKUYJ80KWC91C1LJ/015_PORTFOLIO.JPG Abused by the Badge - Abused by the Badge NEW ORLEANS, LA - May 4:Nicole collapses in a chair after attending a birthday dinner for her mother at her home in New Orleans, LA on May 4, 2023. Nicole was 14 when Officer Rodney Vicknair, then 53, of the New Orleans Police Department took her to the hospital for a rape examination after she said her 17-year-old friend forced himself on her. Four months later, Vicknair was instead arrested for also sexually assaulting Nicole. A Washington Post investigation found that at least 1,800 state and local police officers were charged with crimes involving child abuse from 2005 through 2022. Abusive officers most frequently targeted girls between 13 and 15 years old and regularly met them while on the job. The victim is being identified by her middle name only, to protect her identity. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/TWP) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745530688434-6YKALKYW6ELYCK8S7VCR/016_PORTFOLIO.JPG Abused by the Badge - Abused by the Badge GAULEY BRIDGE, WV - September 28:One of the locations where C.H. was raped in Gauley Bridge, WV on September 28, 2023. When C.H. was 14, she lost her mother to cancer. Her step-father remarried a woman named Kristen, who decided to take their financial problems into her own hands. When C.H. was 17, Gauley Bridge Chief of Police Larry Clay twice paid Kristen to have sex with C.H. while on duty in uniform. Clay was convicted in the sex trafficking case, but has not yet been sentenced. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/TWP) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745530689444-CLXOZSSA2IDER0ESASHF/017_PORTFOLIO.JPG Abused by the Badge - Abused by the Badge BATON ROUGE, LA - MARCH 22:Jade cries during a portrait session after singing a song in Baton Rouge, LA on March 22, 2024. When Jade was a high school cheerleader in 2011, Bradley began grooming her before a cheerleading coach complained to law enforcement officials. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745530692480-WO4ET7DBDP0LFOE82S67/018_PORTFOLIO.JPG Abused by the Badge - Abused by the Badge HUNTSVILLE, AL - December 14:Diamond’s daughter touches a tattoo, which Officer Levy Kelly took Diamond to get after assaulting her, at home in Huntsville, AL on December 14, 2023. Diamond was harassed and sexually assaulted by Officer Levy Kelly, but a case was delayed and then dropped. Despite Diamond not being the only victim, the officer remains free. When Diamond found out she was pregnant with her partner, she immediately thought of how she planned to protect her daughter from what happened to her. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/TWP) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745530691878-AYHJXKRP4GXFO2QCVT1C/019_PORTFOLIO.JPG Abused by the Badge - Abused by the Badge WASHINGTON, DC - November 17:Eloise poses for a portrait near the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, DC on November 17, 2023. Eloise met York Police Officer Joseph Palmer after he was hired as the city’s juvenile engagement officer. He then sexually abused Eloise, then 16 years old, in his car in a bowling alley parking lot. He was given a plea deal for a misdemeanor charge of corruption of minors and was sentenced to probation. Her father, Chris McGhee, is working on a bill with Eloise to make corruption of minors a felony in certain cases where the defendant holds a position of authority in the community. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/TWP) http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/silenced-women-under-the-taliban daily 0.75 2025-04-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745530836058-S6YOOM94EZGN8G8HLL4H/043_PORTFOLIO.JPG Silenced: Women Under the Taliban - Silenced: Afghan Women Under the Taliban Sabar Bano, 45, walks through a destroyed section of Dahan-e-Seli in Baghlan, Afghanistan on November 6, 2024. Her husband died while he prayed for everyone’s survival during a flash flood that swept through the village, killing thirteen. A neighbor managed to help her and her children escape. At this moment, all of the men in the village were away at a wedding so the women could not leave the community. Women need a mahram, or a male chaperone, with them when they leave the village. With her husband gone, she must have her ten-year-old son chaperone her outside of her home. Three years after their takeover of Afghanistan, the Taliban has implemented dozens of new laws and restrictions against women. Requiring women to have a male chaperone whenever they leave their home, banning them from public spaces, limiting access to education, preventing them from holding jobs, and silencing their voices. This has left women with little hope for the future. This story, done in part despite a ban on photographing living beings, is a rare look at some of the issues Afghan women face under these new Taliban laws. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745530836058-S6YOOM94EZGN8G8HLL4H/043_PORTFOLIO.JPG Silenced: Women Under the Taliban - Silenced: Afghan Women Under the Taliban Sabar Bano, 45, walks through a destroyed section of Dahan-e-Seli in Baghlan, Afghanistan on November 6, 2024. Her husband died while he prayed for everyone’s survival during a flash flood that swept through the village, killing thirteen. A neighbor managed to help her and her children escape. At this moment, all of the men in the village were away at a wedding so the women could not leave the community. Women need a mahram, or a male chaperone, with them when they leave the village. With her husband gone, she must have her ten-year-old son chaperone her outside of her home. Three years after their takeover of Afghanistan, the Taliban has implemented dozens of new laws and restrictions against women. Requiring women to have a male chaperone whenever they leave their home, banning them from public spaces, limiting access to education, preventing them from holding jobs, and silencing their voices. This has left women with little hope for the future. This story, done in part despite a ban on photographing living beings, is a rare look at some of the issues Afghan women face under these new Taliban laws. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745530835233-XPJHU5TS8EFM2ZJ6ZTIR/044_PORTFOLIO.JPG Silenced: Women Under the Taliban - Silenced: Afghan Women Under the Taliban BAGHLAN, AFGHANISTAN - NOVEMBER 6:Women gather separately from men as they hope to get aid in Baghlan, Afghanistan on November 6, 2024. With the ban on women working and restrictions on NGO's, mothers and widows often have trouble supporting their children. Women tend to keep separate from men, even in open spaces. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745530837494-7746X2CPWI3007FL9ZYL/045_PORTFOLIO.JPG Silenced: Women Under the Taliban - Silenced: Afghan Women Under the Taliban A Taliban flag flies as a man fires rounds from an AK-47 out of the window of a vehicle leading a wedding procession through a dust storm in Baghlan, Afghanistan on November 6, 2024. Arranged marriages are common and Taliban bans on girls' education put them at increased risk of child marriage. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745530839032-5UWJAEK6DJL2GHB01RPI/046_PORTFOLIO.JPG Silenced: Women Under the Taliban - Silenced: Afghan Women Under the Taliban Rather than watching the violent clashes on horseback, hundreds of men stare at the only woman in attendance during a buzkashi tournament in Baghlan, Afghanistan on November 7, 2024. Often threatened with arrest for trying, women are banned from attending many public events and spaces. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745530839961-XTYFCQJWU98Y7C92AK5Q/047_PORTFOLIO.JPG Silenced: Women Under the Taliban - Silenced: Afghan Women Under the Taliban Hadi peeks out as Asadulla Qemati checks on a family whose home recently flooded, marked by the dark line on the wall, in Herat, Afghanistan on May 9, 2024. Women spend most of their time behind the privacy walls of their homes, where men outside of their family are generally not allowed. Flash floods hit the area damaging homes and destroying crops. Flash floods are increasing in Afghanistan. During this flood event, more than 300 people died across the country. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745530841247-Y2U99CB727F5NQBM2LCH/048_PORTFOLIO.JPG Silenced: Women Under the Taliban - Silenced: Afghan Women Under the Taliban Somayah Mohammadi, center, poses for a portrait in front of her loom with her children Zahra, 1, Umra and Hadi in their home, which recently flooded, in Herat, Afghanistan on May 9, 2024. Flash floods hit the area damaging homes and destroying crops. The dark line on the wall marks how high the water rose. Flash floods are increasing in Afghanistan. During this flood event, more than 300 people died across the country. Weaving rugs at home is one of the few ways women can still work with the bans on most jobs for women. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745530842722-1H00WBY3JK8OLZN23MB3/049_PORTFOLIO.JPG Silenced: Women Under the Taliban - Silenced: Afghan Women Under the Taliban Schoolboys with UNICEF backpacks walk past as Taliban police officers prepare to raid and destroy an opium poppy field in Parwan province, Afghanistan on May 18, 2024. Girls are banned from attending school after sixth grade, severely limiting their opportunities outside of marriage. As climate change impacts resources for families, especially in rural communities, this can put pressure on children to enter the workforce early and leave the education system. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745530843694-HDEQFHJ47WWZH04O5YVE/050_PORTFOLIO.JPG Silenced: Women Under the Taliban - Silenced: Afghan Women Under the Taliban Recently returned refugees, who first fled the war in Afghanistan and then said they fled climate challenges in Pakistan, stand in a refugee camp in Kandahar, Afghanistan on May 7, 2024. Temperatures in the last fifty years increased by up to 4.3 degrees Fahrenheit in southern Afghanistan. Female refugees in Afghanistan return to one of the most restrictive countries on earth for women's rights. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745530845070-7H7DCNCR8X6BGYGFC5FG/051_PORTFOLIO.JPG Silenced: Women Under the Taliban - Silenced: Afghan Women Under the Taliban A young girl points at a Taliban police officer standing guard at a checkpoint in Kandahar, Afghanistan on May 7, 2024. Taliban checkpoints are used to check for security threats, illicit goods, and violations of Taliban laws, such as wearing an improper hijab. Checkpoints are also frequent targets for militant groups like ISIS. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745530846288-6WXV89YYCN3NES20SKGJ/052_PORTFOLIO.JPG Silenced: Women Under the Taliban - Silenced: Afghan Women Under the Taliban A woman in a burqa walks with her son through Kabul, Afghanistan on October 30, 2024. As Afghans living abroad return to visit relatives for the first time since the Taliban takeover, few seem concerned about the women living under increasingly severe restrictions. As climate issues in rural, agricultural areas worsen, families are moving to cities like Kabul to work. http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/buzkashi daily 0.75 2025-04-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745530895383-U6AP3D3CIYBK86M824E6/032_PORTFOLIO.JPG Buzkashi - Buzkashi A member of the Taliban climbs through the crowds of men watching a buzkashi tournament in Baghlan, Afghanistan on November 7, 2024. Buzkashi, the national sport of Afghanistan, requires players on horses to get a goat carcass, sometimes made of leather, into a goal. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745530895383-U6AP3D3CIYBK86M824E6/032_PORTFOLIO.JPG Buzkashi - Buzkashi A member of the Taliban climbs through the crowds of men watching a buzkashi tournament in Baghlan, Afghanistan on November 7, 2024. Buzkashi, the national sport of Afghanistan, requires players on horses to get a goat carcass, sometimes made of leather, into a goal. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745530896271-XNRO9DWGPNX9GLYMDOBS/033_PORTFOLIO.JPG Buzkashi - Buzkashi Malik Stanikzai’s horse, left, rears as men groom and prepare horses ahead of a buzkashi tournament in Baghlan, Afghanistan on November 7, 2024. Horses are often imported from neighboring countries, costing tens of thousands of dollars. Owners have men whose sole job is to care for them. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745530897716-O5NMFHEZZRFMMTGZ3KQF/034_PORTFOLIO.JPG Buzkashi - Buzkashi Sardar Khan Musazoy, 58, head of the buzkashi federation of Baghlan, puts his riding clothes on in preparation to compete in a buzkashi game in Baghlan, Afghanistan on November 7, 2024. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745530898358-6FH95SH7SQOW2ARWPP7T/035_PORTFOLIO.JPG Buzkashi - Buzkashi While many of the men wear thick boots and protective gear, the horses are unprotected as they clash during a buzkashi game in Baghlan, Afghanistan on November 7, 2024. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745530900198-VU05KIE8I3MKM4GU2UED/036_PORTFOLIO.JPG Buzkashi - Buzkashi Men lean off the side of their horses to grab the fake goat carcass during a buzkashi game in Baghlan, Afghanistan on November 7, 2024. Traditionally, a real goat carcass was used, but this alternative is more commonplace now. As the rider gallops away with it, the other men will try to grab it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745530900939-XKU2QTU2LU9KW4Q86KZ3/037_PORTFOLIO.JPG Buzkashi - Buzkashi Men gallop straight into a crowd of male spectators as they lean off the side of their horses to grab the fake goat carcass during a buzkashi game in Baghlan, Afghanistan on November 7, 2024. Women are banned from attending sporting events like buzkashi, so the crowd consists only of men and boys. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745530903342-7LQ9CRF1722F1MY8J8QW/038_PORTFOLIO.JPG Buzkashi - Buzkashi Sardar Khan Musazoy, 58, left, head of the buzkashi federation of Baghlan, laughs with his friend as they canter away from the scrum during a buzkashi game in Baghlan, Afghanistan on November 7, 2024. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745530903446-Z09XTLG3CCE3IJEWO318/039_PORTFOLIO.JPG Buzkashi - Buzkashi A boy watches money get passed down to the player who scored a goal during a buzkashi game in Baghlan, Afghanistan on November 7, 2024. Players win money for scoring, but often share some of their winnings among the men working the game on the ground. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745530906264-N8SOGPUPSFGD12PPA2BG/040_PORTFOLIO.JPG Buzkashi - Buzkashi Nasir Sofi, 20, right, grooms one of Malik Stanikzai’s horses during a buzkashi game in Baghlan, Afghanistan on November 7, 2024. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745530905959-JXL2J1JMAQT506V11VJW/041_PORTFOLIO.JPG Buzkashi - Buzkashi Malik Stanikzai’s horse shakes dust off from rolling in the dirt after being ridden during a buzkashi tournament in Baghlan, Afghanistan on November 7, 2024. Rolling in the dirt is a horse’s reward for a job well done. It allows them to scratch their backs, reduces bugs’ ability to bite them, stimulates their circulation, and is a sign they feel relaxed. http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/opium-climate-change-threatens-talibans-ban daily 0.75 2026-02-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531007933-4IFGGBMMUZMYU7D4EK7F/021_PORTFOLIO.JPG Opium: Climate Change Threatens Taliban's Ban - Opium: Climate Change Threatens Taliban's Ban PARWAN, AFGHANISTAN-MAY 18:A Taliban police officer leaps across a gate to gain entry to and destroy a poppy field in Parwan province, Afghanistan on May 18, 2024. For decades, Afghanistan was the top exporter of opium in the world, accounting for more than 80 percent of the global supply prior to last year. Two-thirds of the country’s opium poppies were grown in southern Afghanistan, where temperatures in the last fifty years increased by up to 4.3 degrees Fahrenheit. The hardy plants thrived despite the harsh, salty desert landscape. Farmers relied on the crop to make their living through droughts and heat. Two years ago, after the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, they banned opium on religious grounds. Afghan farmers turning to alternative crops are finding that many no longer grow well because of the impact of climate change. This is forcing some farmers to abandon their fields, while others are weighing whether they should continue to comply with the ban on poppy cultivation. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531007933-4IFGGBMMUZMYU7D4EK7F/021_PORTFOLIO.JPG Opium: Climate Change Threatens Taliban's Ban - Opium: Climate Change Threatens Taliban's Ban PARWAN, AFGHANISTAN-MAY 18:A Taliban police officer leaps across a gate to gain entry to and destroy a poppy field in Parwan province, Afghanistan on May 18, 2024. For decades, Afghanistan was the top exporter of opium in the world, accounting for more than 80 percent of the global supply prior to last year. Two-thirds of the country’s opium poppies were grown in southern Afghanistan, where temperatures in the last fifty years increased by up to 4.3 degrees Fahrenheit. The hardy plants thrived despite the harsh, salty desert landscape. Farmers relied on the crop to make their living through droughts and heat. Two years ago, after the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, they banned opium on religious grounds. Afghan farmers turning to alternative crops are finding that many no longer grow well because of the impact of climate change. This is forcing some farmers to abandon their fields, while others are weighing whether they should continue to comply with the ban on poppy cultivation. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531008131-241OZA1UE4ZEVYMPWBPZ/022_PORTFOLIO.JPG Opium: Climate Change Threatens Taliban's Ban - Opium: Climate Change Threatens Taliban's Ban PARWAN, AFGHANISTAN-MAY 18:A group of Taliban police officers destroy a poppy field in Parwan province, Afghanistan on May 18, 2024. Breaking the stalks with sticks releases a milky liquid from the plants and renders them useless in producing opium.For decades, Afghanistan was the top exporter of opium in the world, accounting for more than 80 percent of the global supply prior to last year. Two-thirds of the country’s opium poppies were grown in southern Afghanistan, where temperatures in the last fifty years increased by up to 4.3 degrees Fahrenheit. The hardy plants thrived despite the harsh, salty desert landscape. Farmers relied on the crop to make their living through droughts and heat. Two years ago, after the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, they banned opium on religious grounds. Afghan farmers turning to alternative crops are finding that many no longer grow well because of the impact of climate change. This is forcing some farmers to abandon their fields, while others are weighing whether they should continue to comply with the ban on poppy cultivation. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531011121-OUESIVL74QVW1V6KL5T7/023_PORTFOLIO.JPG Opium: Climate Change Threatens Taliban's Ban - Opium: Climate Change Threatens Taliban's Ban KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN-MAY 7:Farmers Sandar Mohammad, 22, left, and Saiful-u-Rahman, 18, work on an okra field in Kandahar province in Afghanistan on May 7, 2024. This area used to grow opium poppy plants, but have been converted to other crops.For decades, Afghanistan was the top exporter of opium in the world, accounting for more than 80 percent of the global supply prior to last year. Two-thirds of the country’s opium poppies were grown in southern Afghanistan, where temperatures in the last fifty years increased by up to 4.3 degrees Fahrenheit. The hardy plants thrived despite the harsh, salty desert landscape. Farmers relied on the crop to make their living through droughts and heat. Two years ago, after the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, they banned opium on religious grounds. Afghan farmers turning to alternative crops are finding that many no longer grow well because of the impact of climate change. This is forcing some farmers to abandon their fields, while others are weighing whether they should continue to comply with the ban on poppy cultivation. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531011120-PRSRQ6SRZ2IYYVVEIXKJ/024_PORTFOLIO.JPG Opium: Climate Change Threatens Taliban's Ban - Opium: Climate Change Threatens Taliban's Ban HERAT, AFGHANISTAN-MAY 11:A Taliban police officer drives an American humvee to a flood zone as other Taliban officers watch from the bed of a truck through his windshield in Chesht-e-Sharif, Herat, Afghanistan on May 11, 2024. Flash floods hit the area damaging homes and destroying crops. Many American military supplies were left behind and taken over by the Taliban after the United States pulled out of the country. Without proper emergency response equipment, this Taliban police unit has resorted to using the humvee left behind to help them in emergency situations, like the floods. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531013571-7JUVBA98UZBT97EAVENG/025_PORTFOLIO.JPG Opium: Climate Change Threatens Taliban's Ban - Opium: Climate Change Threatens Taliban's Ban KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN-MAY 6:Hikmatullah, left, and Mohammad Quasm weed a field of green onions in Arghandab, Kandahar province in Afghanistan on May 6, 2024. These fields used to grow opium poppy plants, but have been converted to other crops, such as cumin, eggplant, and wheat. They both used to work in the poppy fields. Hikmatullah said, “I made more money from poppy. I could have afforded to marry two women if I was still working in poppy. I feel safer now, but I am making less money.” For decades, Afghanistan was the top exporter of opium in the world, accounting for more than 80 percent of the global supply prior to last year. Two-thirds of the country’s opium poppies were grown in southern Afghanistan, where temperatures in the last fifty years increased by up to 4.3 degrees Fahrenheit. The hardy plants thrived despite the harsh, salty desert landscape. Farmers relied on the crop to make their living through droughts and heat. Two years ago, after the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, they banned opium on religious grounds. Afghan farmers turning to alternative crops are finding that many no longer grow well because of the impact of climate change. This is forcing some farmers to abandon their fields, while others are weighing whether they should continue to comply with the ban on poppy cultivation. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531012975-M9VXEUTQTQ26XFIJ0WRL/026_PORTFOLIO.JPG Opium: Climate Change Threatens Taliban's Ban - Opium: Climate Change Threatens Taliban's Ban KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN-MAY 6:Bashir Ahmad, 31, talks about wheat prices at a wheat market where he works in Kandahar, Afghanistan on May 6, 2024. Wheat is one of the main crops farmers are trying to grow after losing their poppy fields. An increase in wheat production after the opium ban is driving prices down. For decades, Afghanistan was the top exporter of opium in the world, accounting for more than 80 percent of the global supply prior to last year. Two-thirds of the country’s opium poppies were grown in southern Afghanistan, where temperatures in the last fifty years increased by up to 4.3 degrees Fahrenheit. The hardy plants thrived despite the harsh, salty desert landscape. Farmers relied on the crop to make their living through droughts and heat. Two years ago, after the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, they banned opium on religious grounds. Afghan farmers turning to alternative crops are finding that many no longer grow well because of the impact of climate change. This is forcing some farmers to abandon their fields, while others are weighing whether they should continue to comply with the ban on poppy cultivation. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531015328-57NUI3EECFD02XRONOOD/027_PORTFOLIO.JPG Opium: Climate Change Threatens Taliban's Ban - Opium: Climate Change Threatens Taliban's Ban HERAT, AFGHANISTAN-MAY 9:A Taliban narcotics officer opens a can of confiscated opium in Herat, Afghanistan on May 9, 2024. For decades, Afghanistan was the top exporter of opium in the world, accounting for more than 80 percent of the global supply prior to last year. Two-thirds of the country’s opium poppies were grown in southern Afghanistan, where temperatures in the last fifty years increased by up to 4.3 degrees Fahrenheit. The hardy plants thrived despite the harsh, salty desert landscape. Farmers relied on the crop to make their living through droughts and heat. Two years ago, after the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, they banned opium on religious grounds. Afghan farmers turning to alternative crops are finding that many no longer grow well because of the impact of climate change. This is forcing some farmers to abandon their fields, while others are weighing whether they should continue to comply with the ban on poppy cultivation. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531016816-KPA6NII6L2WS0N39KRVL/028_PORTFOLIO.JPG Opium: Climate Change Threatens Taliban's Ban - Opium: Climate Change Threatens Taliban's Ban HERAT, AFGHANISTAN-MAY 9:Former addict Mohammad Arif, who is now an instructor teaching addicts how to become guards, directs young men at a Taliban drug rehab center in Herat, Afghanistan on May 9, 2024. When the Taliban took power three years ago, over ten percent of the population used drugs, according to Afghan officials. Thousands were then forced into rehab centers like this one.For decades, Afghanistan was the top exporter of opium in the world, accounting for more than 80 percent of the global supply prior to last year. Two-thirds of the country’s opium poppies were grown in southern Afghanistan, where temperatures in the last fifty years increased by up to 4.3 degrees Fahrenheit. The hardy plants thrived despite the harsh, salty desert landscape. Farmers relied on the crop to make their living through droughts and heat. Two years ago, after the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, they banned opium on religious grounds. Afghan farmers turning to alternative crops are finding that many no longer grow well because of the impact of climate change. This is forcing some farmers to abandon their fields, while others are weighing whether they should continue to comply with the ban on poppy cultivation. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531017301-WXQ835KVOUDP1YFYT4Q9/029_PORTFOLIO.JPG Opium: Climate Change Threatens Taliban's Ban - Opium: Climate Change Threatens Taliban's Ban HELMAND, AFGHANISTAN-MAY 8:Haji Wazir, 55, a farmer, speaks at a cotton market in Helmand province about the challenges of losing his poppy fields in Afghanistan on May 8, 2024. This area used to grow opium poppies. Most fields have been converted to other crops, but they are not nearly as profitable and are vulnerable to climate change.For decades, Afghanistan was the top exporter of opium in the world, accounting for more than 80 percent of the global supply prior to last year. Two-thirds of the country’s opium poppies were grown in southern Afghanistan, where temperatures in the last fifty years increased by up to 4.3 degrees Fahrenheit. The hardy plants thrived despite the harsh, salty desert landscape. Farmers relied on the crop to make their living through droughts and heat. Two years ago, after the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, they banned opium on religious grounds. Afghan farmers turning to alternative crops are finding that many no longer grow well because of the impact of climate change. This is forcing some farmers to abandon their fields, while others are weighing whether they should continue to comply with the ban on poppy cultivation. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531020645-793TNLIJVM0END08S4B4/030_PORTFOLIO.JPG Opium: Climate Change Threatens Taliban's Ban - Opium: Climate Change Threatens Taliban's Ban HERAT, AFGHANISTAN-MAY 10:A Taliban police officer holds American night vision goggles as he looks at damage in a flood zone in Chesht-e-Sharif, Herat, Afghanistan on May 10, 2024. Many American military supplies were left behind and taken over by the Taliban after the United States pulled out of the country. Flash floods hit the area destroying 80 homes and crops. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/brooke-and-billy-collateral-damage-in-abortion-battle daily 0.75 2026-02-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531262468-I0C5JN5HWZ75T2WP9Y87/portfolio_056bw.jpg Brooke and Billy - Brooke and Billy: Collateral Damage in the Battle Over Abortion Brooke High and Billy High spend time resting in bed while their twins, Kendall and Olivia, nap at home in Tampa, FL on June 25, 2023. When their story first came out, politicians and advocates on both sides used their story to support their own viewpoints. “It doesn’t make sense to me that we would be that shining example [for antiabortion advocates],” she said. Their lives are, as she put it, “so imperfect.”Brooke likes to read fantasy novels to escape the stresses of her life. Meanwhile, Billy watches skateboarding videos on his phone in his spare time. Brooke appreciates when they have a quiet moment rather than filling it with arguments or chores. Brooke and Billy married and Billy joined the military when she couldn’t get an abortion in Texas. The closest clinic that could have given her an abortion was a 13-hour drive away in New Mexico.Brooke High found out she was pregnant two days before the Texas Heartbeat Act went into effect, which banned abortions after about six weeks. Barely missing the deadline, she was unable to access an abortion before the ban took effect. At 18-years-old, Brooke found herself juggling the feeding and sleeping schedules of twin newborns. Their father, Billy High, enlisted in the military, rather than chase his skateboarding dreams, in order to provide for his unexpected new family. Appearing in a story about the abortion ban shortly before Roe v. Wade was overturned, they became symbols on both sides of the abortion debate in the United States. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531262468-I0C5JN5HWZ75T2WP9Y87/portfolio_056bw.jpg Brooke and Billy - Brooke and Billy: Collateral Damage in the Battle Over Abortion Brooke High and Billy High spend time resting in bed while their twins, Kendall and Olivia, nap at home in Tampa, FL on June 25, 2023. When their story first came out, politicians and advocates on both sides used their story to support their own viewpoints. “It doesn’t make sense to me that we would be that shining example [for antiabortion advocates],” she said. Their lives are, as she put it, “so imperfect.”Brooke likes to read fantasy novels to escape the stresses of her life. Meanwhile, Billy watches skateboarding videos on his phone in his spare time. Brooke appreciates when they have a quiet moment rather than filling it with arguments or chores. Brooke and Billy married and Billy joined the military when she couldn’t get an abortion in Texas. The closest clinic that could have given her an abortion was a 13-hour drive away in New Mexico.Brooke High found out she was pregnant two days before the Texas Heartbeat Act went into effect, which banned abortions after about six weeks. Barely missing the deadline, she was unable to access an abortion before the ban took effect. At 18-years-old, Brooke found herself juggling the feeding and sleeping schedules of twin newborns. Their father, Billy High, enlisted in the military, rather than chase his skateboarding dreams, in order to provide for his unexpected new family. Appearing in a story about the abortion ban shortly before Roe v. Wade was overturned, they became symbols on both sides of the abortion debate in the United States. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531262156-R09DRE2S06VS7YOJLLYY/portfolio_057bw.jpg Brooke and Billy - Brooke and Billy: Collateral Damage in the Battle Over Abortion Brooke High vacuums as Billy High watches skateboarding videos and their twins, Kendall and Olivia, play at home in Tampa, FL on June 25, 2023. Brooke often gets frustrated by doing chores while Billy hangs out or leaves a mess behind for her. They both gave up dreams to support the twins when she got unexpectedly pregnant and couldn’t access an abortion in Texas. For Brooke, it was giving up her plan to be a realtor. Now she feels stuck, because she doesn’t think she could provide for the twins if she left Billy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531263117-SLJMXGI8J3O461T3A7N8/portfolio_058bw_1.jpg Brooke and Billy - Brooke and Billy: Collateral Damage in the Battle Over Abortion While Billy High is at work, Brooke High comforts Kendall after Olivia bit her at home in Tampa, FL on June 26, 2023. As much as they struggle to get along sometimes, Brooke said the hours she is at home without Billy there to help her are the hardest. He works from 2 pm until after 11, so she has to take care of the girls’ bedtime routine alone. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531263427-UM3LG71RHM1SQNIGKRT7/portfolio_059bw.jpg Brooke and Billy - Brooke and Billy: Collateral Damage in the Battle Over Abortion When they disagreed about whose turn it was to change the diapers for their twins, Brooke and Billy High play Rock Paper Scissors to decide at home in Tampa, FL on June 25, 2023. Games like Rock Paper Scissors help them avoid frequent arguments about who handles various chores and responsibilities. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531264110-QT6KLNOHKFC5OL938KUS/portfolio_060bw.jpg Brooke and Billy - Brooke and Billy: Collateral Damage in the Battle Over Abortion While Billy High is at work, Brooke High takes care of their twins at home in Tampa, FL on June 26, 2023. Every time they put the girls down for bed, one of them reads Kendall and Olivia a bedtime story. Brooke was proud when a doctor called her girls "really smart" at a one-year checkup. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531264511-9EUOF6U8QQRKRCBQ7WAS/portfolio_061bw.jpg Brooke and Billy - Brooke and Billy: Collateral Damage in the Battle Over Abortion Taking a break from playing video games, Brooke and Billy High toss Kendall as Olivia watches at home in Tampa, FL on June 25, 2023. Brooke says she is proud of the decisions they have made for their family. Billy is a mechanic for the Air Force, while Brooke cares for the girls full time. However, they both said that they miss the freedom they had before. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531265289-5HP2AXLM4F4AKYHK8L40/portfolio_062bw.jpg Brooke and Billy - Brooke and Billy: Collateral Damage in the Battle Over Abortion Billy High does a backflip as he and Brooke High play with their twins, Kendall and Olivia, at a park in Tampa, FL on June 25, 2023. A throwback to his days showing off at the skatepark where they met, Billy often does tricks like this at the playground instead. Sometimes Brooke finds it charming, but other times she just wants him to pay attention to her and the girls. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531265645-CL9PG63AO9WFRUGIVT4U/portfolio_063bw.jpg Brooke and Billy - Brooke and Billy: Collateral Damage in the Battle Over Abortion Brooke High gives Billy High a kiss as they play in the pool with their twins, Kendall and Olivia, in Tampa, FL on June 26, 2023. When they first moved to Tampa, she missed her new husband dearly. However, as time went on, he felt more distant—too tired from work to talk or give her validation of his love. To help with the arguments and tension in their marriage, Brooke and Billy now see a marriage counselor, who recommends that they each take time for themselves. Brooke takes Kendall and Olivia to swim lessons every week and continues their education whenever she can at the pool in their apartment complex. It is nearly impossible for her to handle them without Billy's help though because the girls will shoot off in different directions. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531266382-RKYBGJK99UX8R8WRZAGJ/portfolio_065bw.jpg Brooke and Billy - Brooke and Billy: Collateral Damage in the Battle Over Abortion Brooke and Billy High put their twins, Kendall and Olivia, down for a nap at home in Tampa, FL on June 25, 2023. If they didn’t have the girls, they both admit their teen romance probably would have fizzled out and they would have moved on. Now, they instead share the experience of parenthood. A study by pro-abortion-rights research group at the University of California at San Francisco, which included nearly 1,000 women, found that women who are denied abortions experience worse financial, health, and family outcomes than those who are able to end their pregnancies. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531266500-BJWZ0ZAKHJVI2SETHMHM/portfolio_066bw.jpg Brooke and Billy - Brooke and Billy: Collateral Damage in the Battle Over Abortion Brooke High listens on a call with a career coach, to help her reach her new dream of being a personal trainer, at home in Tampa, FL on June 26, 2023. “It’s a little bit scary,” Brooke said of how quickly their relationship could fall apart. “Billy and I haven’t been together that long.” So, using military spouse benefits, she found hope in having a plan to gain some independence and help support her children regardless of how things play out with Billy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531267604-Z0I62XJDX0Z963TK7XM0/portfolio_067bw.jpg Brooke and Billy - Brooke and Billy: Collateral Damage in the Battle Over Abortion Billy High laughs as Kendall and Olivia High, wearing matching Air Force onesies, play with his hat before he leaves for work from their home in Tampa, FL on June 26, 2023. After Air Force basic training, “I felt more able to take care of them,” he said. “I felt like I could do anything if I wanted to.” His daughters made him feel good about the person he was becoming. While Brooke is their main caregiver, one of the things she loves most about Billy is that he is the "fun" one who can always make their girls laugh. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531267517-877UPMT09CFY87BT4VUU/portfolio_068_1bw.jpg Brooke and Billy - Brooke and Billy: Collateral Damage in the Battle Over Abortion Brooke High pushes Kendall and Olivia in a stroller on a walk with a friend, who she met in a military spouse support group on Facebook, in Tampa, FL on June 26, 2023. They spoke of the struggles of parenthood, military life, and being more than a thousand miles from home. Brooke shared how well the call with a career counselor went earlier that day. How comforting it was to have a ray of hope amidst the uncertainties of their future. A year after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Billy said of the abortion laws that led to their situation, “If I see it on the news, I’m like, ‘Yeah, that’s why I have two kids today. I think that for like a split second, then I move on.” http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/the-takeover-drug-trafficking-in-the-galapagos daily 0.75 2025-04-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531365259-2VBPQZBJRM671X5R3NAB/portfolio_045.JPG The Takeover: Drug Trafficking in the Galapagos - The Takeover: Drug Trafficking in the Galapagos Drug cartels are using the Galápagos Islands as a gas station for the boats they use to smuggle cocaine north to Mexico and the United States. The cartels extort local fishermen who have access to subsidized gas. The large swaths of undeveloped land and small ports and airports on the islands make it easy for drugs to be smuggled through. In 2023, the navy seized nearly 25 tons of cocaine around the Galápagos—a 150 percent increase over 2022. Weapons are now also being smuggled along routes near the islands as Ecuadorian gangs fight for control of drug routes and violence in Ecuador soars.People hang out in Puerto Villamil on Isabela Island, Galápagos on April 25, 2023. While there is some demand for cocaine locally in this tourist hotspot, the majority is passing through on routes from South America north to Mexico and the US. Mexican and Albanian cartels’ efforts to meet an increasing demand for cocaine have aided in a historic increase in violence in Ecuador. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531365259-2VBPQZBJRM671X5R3NAB/portfolio_045.JPG The Takeover: Drug Trafficking in the Galapagos - The Takeover: Drug Trafficking in the Galapagos Drug cartels are using the Galápagos Islands as a gas station for the boats they use to smuggle cocaine north to Mexico and the United States. The cartels extort local fishermen who have access to subsidized gas. The large swaths of undeveloped land and small ports and airports on the islands make it easy for drugs to be smuggled through. In 2023, the navy seized nearly 25 tons of cocaine around the Galápagos—a 150 percent increase over 2022. Weapons are now also being smuggled along routes near the islands as Ecuadorian gangs fight for control of drug routes and violence in Ecuador soars.People hang out in Puerto Villamil on Isabela Island, Galápagos on April 25, 2023. While there is some demand for cocaine locally in this tourist hotspot, the majority is passing through on routes from South America north to Mexico and the US. Mexican and Albanian cartels’ efforts to meet an increasing demand for cocaine have aided in a historic increase in violence in Ecuador. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531364980-SERBSL9KAC9QXK9SF4J5/portfolio_046.JPG The Takeover: Drug Trafficking in the Galapagos - The Takeover: Drug Trafficking in the Galapagos Locals dive into the water near the Artisanal Market to snorkel and cool off in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos on April 21, 2023. This swimming hole is near one of the ports that fishermen, who are being extorted for their gas, leave from. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531367626-1PS9D8QKR3WHNLUY3ZF1/portfolio_047.JPG The Takeover: Drug Trafficking in the Galapagos - The Takeover: Drug Trafficking in the Galapagos Tourists take photos as they visit Bartolomé Island, Galápagos on April 23, 2023. While tourists bring a small demand for cocaine locally, most tourists would not notice the signs of cartel influence in the area. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531368558-AA2DZ8C3EE2UV42Y3MON/portfolio_048.JPG The Takeover: Drug Trafficking in the Galapagos - The Takeover: Drug Trafficking in the Galapagos Myr. Velasquez Farias Francisco Vinicio, a police officer, waves to a friend in Puerto Villamil on Isabela Island, Galápagos on April 25, 2023. He watches over the main port on the island and handles incidents with seized drugs. At one point, cocaine washed up on a beach near this port. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531369850-K9J49Q0N7TL2EP5D7BIK/portfolio_049.JPG The Takeover: Drug Trafficking in the Galapagos - The Takeover: Drug Trafficking in the Galapagos An Ecuadorian Coast Guard team patrols the ports for suspicious activity in Guayaquil, Ecuador on April 20, 2023. The teams that patrol the waters around Ecuador’s biggest export hub often come head-to-head with gang members who use container ships, submarines and fishing vessels to smuggle cocaine out of the violence-torn country to the US, Mexico and Europe. Guayaquil has been wracked with car bombings, murders, and hostage situations in recent months attributed to drug gangs. Most recently, Los Choneros gang leader José Adolfo Macías Villamar escaped a Guayaquil prison where he was serving a 34-year sentence for drug trafficking. This led the president to declare a state of emergency in the country. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531370850-FIUN6U66OC47NR687GDA/portfolio_050.JPG The Takeover: Drug Trafficking in the Galapagos - The Takeover: Drug Trafficking in the Galapagos An Ecuadorian Coast Guard team, including Victor John Coronado, boards and inspects a boat that they suspected smuggled gas off the coast of San Cristobal, Galápagos on April 27, 2023. Fishing vessels like this one are frequently used to smuggle the subsidized gas to drop points in the waters around the Galapagos, where cartel boats pick the gas tanks up to fuel their journeys north. In this case, the men claimed to have been out fishing and heading home. However, the Coast Guard said they were low on gas, all of their fishing equipment was stored and dry, and they did not have any fish onboard. While the team had their suspicions, they had nothing to hold the fishermen with so they let them go. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531372637-WXKNJEIHKHTR2BYZ1BJ3/portfolio_051.JPG The Takeover: Drug Trafficking in the Galapagos - The Takeover: Drug Trafficking in the Galapagos An Ecuadorian Coast Guard team brings their vessel, called the Darwin Island, back to San Cristobal, Galápagos on April 27, 2023. Officials estimate that seventy percent of the cocaine in Europe was smuggled out of Ecuador. Islanders, especially on nearby Isabela, have heard unauthorized planes and found packages of cocaine on beaches for years, but are often scared to report them. The navy intelligence service is looking into rumors that uninhabited areas hold clandestine runways for drug-laden planes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531373362-7QB9KBN0CCVOXSALEK1U/portfolio_052.JPG The Takeover: Drug Trafficking in the Galapagos - The Takeover: Drug Trafficking in the Galapagos Hilda Moscoso Espinoza, whose son has struggled with cocaine addiction for years, poses for a portrait on her bed at her farm on Isabela Island, Galápagos on April 26, 2023. Growing up on the island, she remembers when there were so few people there that they ate meals communally. “Little by little, the drugs are taking over the island,” she said. “And there is no help.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531375853-MAKZP436FFHTPJ7LXJ6R/portfolio_053.JPG The Takeover: Drug Trafficking in the Galapagos - The Takeover: Drug Trafficking in the Galapagos An abandoned plane sits at Jose de Villamil Airport, where a “ghost plane” landed and subsequently disappeared, on Isabela Island, Galápagos on April 24, 2023. A mystery unfolded when an unauthorized plane landed at the tiny Isabela airport. Its pilot and crew escaped and, two months later, the plane disappeared. The mystery was never solved and the plane was never found. An airport administrator, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, was terrified to go to work and later was offered $250,000 by a stranger in exchange for access to the runway. The administrator declined, saying his life didn’t have a price. He said that intelligence officials later confirmed that the island was awash in drug money and the airport was an ideal place for “narcoplanes”. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531377638-8ATSY4CPSMSBAB3BRJS1/portfolio_054.JPG The Takeover: Drug Trafficking in the Galapagos - The Takeover: Drug Trafficking in the Galapagos A crowd watches as a large boat catches on fire in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos on April 21, 2023. Later that night, a fisherman speaking anonymously out of fear for his life talked about how he had been extorted to bring subsidized gas for fishing to drop points for cartel boats. Local leaders, fishermen, intelligence officials, and residents all painted a picture of a place where locals get rich seemingly overnight, people are scared to speak out, and a cash-based local economy filled with tourists is perfect for money laundering. This UNESCO World Heritage site is increasingly facing a crisis as Ecuador’s drug cartels’ influence and violence grows. http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/hunting-isis-in-somalia daily 0.75 2026-02-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770705464114-EFM7PHTNBVXD5ERULTLM/0002_portfolio.JPG Hunting ISIS in Somalia - Hunting ISIS in Somalia In one of the world’s most unstable nations, the Islamic State is mounting a quiet resurgence. Far from its origins in Iraq, the group’s Somali branch has grown to more than 1,000 foreign fighters and has become the financial hub of the group. Whether ISIS’s troubling rise in this corner of Africa can be contained now depends largely on a force of under-equipped, scrappy soldiers in Puntland, a semiautonomous region in northern Somalia. This story journeys with them to the frontline in their fight against ISIS, fighting not just for their homeland but also for global security. Soldiers with the Puntland Defense Forces spend time at a cave where Islamic State fighters lived until recently being flushed out on the frontline near Daabdamale, Puntland, Somalia on January 25, 2025. Islamic State in Somalia recruits foreign fighters and brings them into Somalia to try to gain ground in what is becoming a key nerve center for the Islamic State. As certain areas and caves were cleared in this battle, ISIS scattered into new areas of the highlands, making the location of the frontline suddenly unclear. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770705464114-EFM7PHTNBVXD5ERULTLM/0002_portfolio.JPG Hunting ISIS in Somalia - Hunting ISIS in Somalia In one of the world’s most unstable nations, the Islamic State is mounting a quiet resurgence. Far from its origins in Iraq, the group’s Somali branch has grown to more than 1,000 foreign fighters and has become the financial hub of the group. Whether ISIS’s troubling rise in this corner of Africa can be contained now depends largely on a force of under-equipped, scrappy soldiers in Puntland, a semiautonomous region in northern Somalia. This story journeys with them to the frontline in their fight against ISIS, fighting not just for their homeland but also for global security. Soldiers with the Puntland Defense Forces spend time at a cave where Islamic State fighters lived until recently being flushed out on the frontline near Daabdamale, Puntland, Somalia on January 25, 2025. Islamic State in Somalia recruits foreign fighters and brings them into Somalia to try to gain ground in what is becoming a key nerve center for the Islamic State. As certain areas and caves were cleared in this battle, ISIS scattered into new areas of the highlands, making the location of the frontline suddenly unclear. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770705464908-L3CTOL7W24HZRE76NNMJ/0003_portfolio.JPG Hunting ISIS in Somalia - Hunting ISIS in Somalia Soldiers with the Puntland Defense Forces spend time at a cave where Islamic State fighters lived until recently being flushed out on the frontline near Daabdamale, Puntland, Somalia on January 25, 2025. Islamic State in Somalia recruits foreign fighters and brings them into Somalia to try to gain ground in what is becoming a key nerve center for the Islamic State. The cave was fortified by sandbags and outfitted with a water reservoir cut into the rock, indicating that Islamic State fighters had taken ahold of the area for a long time. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770705466048-GONQ9FQDXU38Q9S76NSP/0004_portfolio.JPG Hunting ISIS in Somalia - Hunting ISIS in Somalia Soldiers with the Puntland Defense Forces spend time at a former Islamic State stronghold that they recently took back on the frontline near Daabdamale, Puntland, Somalia on January 25, 2025. Positioned on top of a mountain with guarded lookout points all around, this stronghold was strategically extremely challenging to attack. The Puntland Defense Forces relied on their knowledge of the land to defeat ISIS fighters who had been stationed here for a long time. Meanwhile, across the valley, smoke and dust rose from an active battle between Puntland Defense Forces and Islamic State fighters. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770705466869-4EUP83PTIMZ1AECCLNFF/0005_portfolio.JPG Hunting ISIS in Somalia - Hunting ISIS in Somalia A soldier with the Puntland Defense Force fires a machine gun at a former Islamic State stronghold that they recently took back on the frontline near Daabdamale, Puntland, Somalia on January 25, 2025. At this time, Islamic State was using drone technology, more advanced and expensive than what Puntland had access to, and improvised explosive devices to gain ground in the mountains. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770705467994-CZOXA3UY3TESI5DIAFFI/0006_portfolio.JPG Hunting ISIS in Somalia - Hunting ISIS in Somalia As soldiers with the Puntland Defense Forces pass on the road to the frontline in their battle with Islamic State on January 25, 2025, two men sit amongst the wreckage from a suicide bomb attack on December 31, 2024 involving 12 suicide bombers supported by 60 fighters in Dharjaale, Puntland, Somalia. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770705469253-RLOOEWABHRNUZMF5D8QW/0007_portfolio.JPG Hunting ISIS in Somalia - Hunting ISIS in Somalia General Fu’ad Xanaano, of the Puntland Defense Forces, is loaded into a plane at the airport in Bosaso, Puntland, Somalia taking him to Ethiopia for treatment for his battle injuries on January 26, 2025. Improvised explosive devices, or IED's are commonly used by ISIS to attack routes or take out soldiers in battle. Of the 30 IED specialists Puntland had at the beginning, only a couple remained. The local healthcare infrastructure could not handle the volume or complexity of all the wounded, so many are sent to Ethiopia for surgery and recovery. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770705470066-A0I4JBONBPVJULZZ404P/0008_portfolio.JPG Hunting ISIS in Somalia - Hunting ISIS in Somalia Soldiers with the Puntland Defense Forces climb a fence to unlock a gate at their forward operating base near the frontline in their battle with Islamic State in Balidhidin, Puntland, Somalia on January 26, 2025. The group uses their forward operating base as a home base for soldiers venturing out to battles against Islamic State in the surrounding mountains. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770705470960-2OALY56I1FUS0OY0VGU9/0009_portfolio.JPG Hunting ISIS in Somalia - Hunting ISIS in Somalia A woman, unidentified for her safety because she lived under Islamic State, stands for a portrait near the Puntland Defense Forces’ forward operating base close to the frontline in their battle with Islamic State in Balidhidin, Puntland, Somalia on January 26, 2025. She spoke of the violence and fear she lived with during the Islamic State's occupation of her community. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770705472391-YVCUURM2E0NBRQL8OB0T/0010_portfolio.JPG Hunting ISIS in Somalia - Hunting ISIS in Somalia Prisoners, who working with ISIS but claimed they deserted out of fear, spend time in prison in Garowe, Puntland, Somalia on January 23, 2025. They told stories of being lured from other countries in the region with promise of work, but found themselves suddenly risking their lives for ISIS in rural mountain caves. Verifying their claims of how they joined ISIS, whether they knew what they were signing up for, or how much they believed in the cause proved impossible. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770705473513-V1ZVINPFAOPAQYX2MPJF/0011_portfolio.JPG Hunting ISIS in Somalia - Hunting ISIS in Somalia A prisoner from Morocco who said he deserted from working for the Islamic State stands in prison after posing for a portrait in Garowe, Puntland, Somalia on January 23, 2025. He and the other prisoners told stories of being lured from other countries in the region with promise of work, but found themselves suddenly risking their lives for ISIS in rural mountain caves. Verifying their claims of how they joined ISIS, whether they knew what they were signing up for, or how much they believed in the cause proved impossible. ISIS recruits foreign fighters to try to turn Somalia into a gateway for money, weapons, and terroristic ambitions between the African continent and the rest of the world. http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/the-ballistic-and-the-boy daily 0.75 2026-02-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770705885521-8UGX8SMFQBROM9FGUHQR/0013_portfolioA.JPG The Ballistic and the Boy - The Ballistic and the Boy When a Russian ballistic missile struck a playground in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's hometown of Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, Matviy Holovko's mother shielded him with her body just in time to save his life by losing her own. Carrying a thousand pounds of explosives and manufactured in Russia, this type of Iskander 9M723 missile contains components from companies based abroad, including the United States, despite sanctions. The blast, considered the worst attack on children in the war, killed twenty people and shredded the eight-year-old's arm, leaving him to come to terms with a life without his mother and his arm. Matviy Holovko, 8, plays alone with a balloon at Superhumans Center on November 11, 2025 in Vynnyky, Lviv Oblast, Ukraine. Superhumans Center is a specialist medical facility for the treatment and rehabilitation of war victims, which was created in response to the increased number of amputations following the 2022 full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770705885521-8UGX8SMFQBROM9FGUHQR/0013_portfolioA.JPG The Ballistic and the Boy - The Ballistic and the Boy When a Russian ballistic missile struck a playground in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's hometown of Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, Matviy Holovko's mother shielded him with her body just in time to save his life by losing her own. Carrying a thousand pounds of explosives and manufactured in Russia, this type of Iskander 9M723 missile contains components from companies based abroad, including the United States, despite sanctions. The blast, considered the worst attack on children in the war, killed twenty people and shredded the eight-year-old's arm, leaving him to come to terms with a life without his mother and his arm. Matviy Holovko, 8, plays alone with a balloon at Superhumans Center on November 11, 2025 in Vynnyky, Lviv Oblast, Ukraine. Superhumans Center is a specialist medical facility for the treatment and rehabilitation of war victims, which was created in response to the increased number of amputations following the 2022 full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770705815492-RD927ROH9OKTIS52IRVB/0013_portfolio.JPG The Ballistic and the Boy - 0013_portfolio.JPG Matviy Holovko, 8, who lost his mother and his arm when an Iskander 9M723 ballistic missile struck a playground in his hometown of Kryvyi Rih, plays alone with a balloon at Superhumans Center on November 11, 2025 in Vynnyky, Lviv Oblast, Ukraine. Superhumans Center is a specialist medical facility for the treatment and rehabilitation of war victims, which was created in response to the increased number of amputations following the 2022 full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770705815413-LLRYOLCYYQ7LXVKI6YEL/0014_portfolio.JPG The Ballistic and the Boy - The Ballistic and the Boy Toys are left in memory of the 20 people killed at the playground where an Iskander 9M723 ballistic missile struck on November 2, 2025 in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine. Kryvyi Rih, which is where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky grew up, is so frequently targeted that Matviy could easily identify the sounds of missiles and drones that follow the frequent blaring of the air raid sirens. On a warm spring day this year, while Matviy Holovko, 8, went to get a chocolate with his mother, he saw the missile in the sky moments before it struck. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770705886897-ED9AS0NV9L23HDW2LGBU/0015_portfolioA.JPG The Ballistic and the Boy - The Ballistic and the Boy Anastasia Prava shows a photo of her brother Matviy Holovko, who lost his mother and his arm when an Iskander 9M723 ballistic missile struck the playground pictured here on November 1, 2025 in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine. This photograph shows Matviy using his arm in the playground where his life would soon change forever. The playground is around the corner from their apartment building, so they must see it nearly every day. When the ballistic missile struck, Vita Holovko, 50, shielded her son Matviy with her body just in time to save his life by losing her own. His arm, however, was shredded and, after three surgeries trying to save it, was amputated. Matviy’s father, Kostiantyn Holovko, 58, never found the words to explain to his son where his arm went. Kostiantyn’s stepdaughter, who is Matviy’s sister, Anastasia Prava instead explained to him that their mother “will stay in the sky and in your heart forever.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770705887273-GL3IDXCTYA6B0QFYCMB7/0016_portfolioA.JPG The Ballistic and the Boy - The Ballistic and the Boy Matviy Holovko, 8, who lost his mother and his arm when an Iskander 9M723 ballistic missile struck a playground in his hometown of Kryvyi Rih, attempts to shake hands as he heads to get his prothetic arm repaired during occupational therapy with Mariya Kosovska at Superhumans Center on November 11, 2025 in Vynnyky, Lviv Oblast, Ukraine. Superhumans Center is a specialist medical facility for the treatment and rehabilitation of war victims, which was created in response to the increased number of amputations following the 2022 full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. Despite export controls, Russian weapons with Western components show up on Ukrainian soil nightly, killing and maiming civilians. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770705888211-1NEF5OJIIS7IP88CINXU/0017_portfolioA.JPG The Ballistic and the Boy - The Ballistic and the Boy Matviy Holovko, 8, who lost his mother and his arm when an Iskander 9M723 ballistic missile struck a playground in his hometown, participates in soccer practice on November 1, 2025 in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine. The soccer practice was held using flashlights in a dark gym, because of a power outage due to recent Russian attacks on Ukraine’s power infrastructure. Air raid sirens blared as the practice wrapped up, but life for these children continued on as normal. Matviy said that when the sirens go off at school and they need to go to the bomb shelter, “we are calm, but we are running.” Families in the area are frequently without power, heat or water for hours - or even days - at a time. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770705888717-S6JYQW1Q59GW1U1WIARR/0018_portfolioA.JPG The Ballistic and the Boy - The Ballistic and the Boy Matviy Holovko, 8, who lost his mother and his arm when an Iskander 9M723 ballistic missile struck a playground in his hometown, stretches at the end of soccer practice on November 1, 2025 in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine. He named his new prosthetic arm “Dragon,” while his friends lovingly call the stump that remains of his arm “marshmallow” when they gently fist-bump it during soccer practice. The soccer practice was held using flashlights in a dark gym, because of a power outage due to recent Russian attacks on Ukraine’s power infrastructure. Air raid sirens blared as the practice wrapped up, but life for these children continued on as normal. Matviy said that when the sirens go off at school and they need to go to the bomb shelter, “we are calm, but we are running.” Families in the area are frequently without power, heat or water for hours - or even days - at a time. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770705889640-B8FR6AHCC1MN0C1I9SRE/0019_portfolioA.JPG The Ballistic and the Boy - The Ballistic and the Boy Matviy Holovko, 8, who lost his mother and his arm when an Iskander 9M723 ballistic missile struck a playground in his hometown of Kryvyi Rih, dances in the hall of the hospital as he takes a break from playing Roblox at Superhumans Center on November 10, 2025 in Vynnyky, Lviv Oblast, Ukraine. During his month-long visits, Matviy is often the youngest patient at Superhumans, surrounded by wounded soldiers. Superhumans Center is a specialist medical facility for the treatment and rehabilitation of war victims, which was created in response to the increased number of amputations following the 2022 full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. Despite export controls, Russian weapons with Western components show up on Ukrainian soil nightly, killing and maiming civilians. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770705890247-PG1VGMM0IMCKIOV9RS4O/0020_portfolioA.JPG The Ballistic and the Boy - The Ballistic and the Boy Kostiantyn Holovko helps his son Matviy Holovko, 8, who lost his mother and his arm when an Iskander 9M723 ballistic missile struck a playground in his hometown of Kryvyi Rih, remove his prosthetic arm after occupational therapy at Superhumans Center on November 11, 2025 in Vynnyky, Lviv Oblast, Ukraine. Matviy’s father Kostiantyn Holovko, 58, struggling with his own grief, never found the words to explain to his son where his arm and mother went. Matviy’s sister, Anastasia Prava, instead explained to Matviy that their mother “will stay in the sky and in your heart forever.” Superhumans Center is a specialist medical facility for the treatment and rehabilitation of war victims, which was created in response to the increased number of amputations following the 2022 full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770705890937-89FCEAKU4NWKE3F7VKRA/0021_portfolioA.JPG The Ballistic and the Boy - The Ballistic and the Boy Kostiantyn Holovko sits with his son Matviy Holovko, 8, who lost his mother and his arm when an Iskander 9M723 ballistic missile struck a playground in his hometown of Kryvyi Rih, at Superhumans Center on November 11, 2025 in Vynnyky, Lviv Oblast, Ukraine. In the days after the attack, Matviy went in and out of three surgeries, all trying to save his arm. When nothing worked, he woke up from the final operation to find all that was left was a stump.“It’s gone,” he said, looking to his dad.“I’ll tell you later,” Kostiantyn replied, but he never found the words.Despite export controls, Russian weapons with Western components show up on Ukrainian soil nightly, killing and maiming civilians. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770705891796-8QWRUKIM05DHAE87BPJK/0022_portfolioA.JPG The Ballistic and the Boy - The Ballistic and the Boy Air raid sirens blare overhead as Kostiantyn Holovko walks with his son Matviy Holovko, 8, who lost his mother and his arm when an Iskander 9M723 ballistic missile struck a playground on this street in his hometown, on November 1, 2025 in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine. As they walked home, where a power outage awaited them, Matviy's coat sleeve was tucked into his jacket pocket to hide the fact that his arm was missing. He feels more normal this way. Ahead was the playground where, before the attack, he used to play a game called "catch the missile" by launching a toy in the air and trying to catch it. Always hoping it wouldn't land. http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/fijis-impossible-choice daily 0.75 2026-02-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770709475469-TQQATFEB17ZNC3UV5W2J/0035_portfolio.JPG Fiji's Impossible Choice - Fiji's Impossible Choice The island nation of Fiji has become a test case for climate-driven relocation, but the funds needed to carry it out are slipping away. With the U.S. slashing aid and abandoning climate pledges under President Trump, the global safety net promised to nations most vulnerable to climate change is beginning to fray. In Fiji, many residents now face the choice between an underfunded push to relocate and the impulse to stay on the land of their ancestors, even as rising seas are inching closer to washing away their homes. Luke Tuilawa, left, and Elena Qio, 8, go out to look for sea urchin and clams in Muani, Kadavu, Fiji on March 29, 2025. Muani, a coastal community that relies heavily on fishing, faces risks of storm surge and sea level rise due to climate change. The community residents constructed a drainage network to mitigate surface run-off. They also have a stone seawall at the same height as the village ground during high tide, which does not protect them from flooding. A nearby site is set aside for relocating the village, but the community’s connection to the land, the steep hills surrounding the community, and funding issues are all contributing to delays in moving. Meanwhile, large parts of the village are underwater during high tides or heavy rainfalls. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770709475469-TQQATFEB17ZNC3UV5W2J/0035_portfolio.JPG Fiji's Impossible Choice - Fiji's Impossible Choice The island nation of Fiji has become a test case for climate-driven relocation, but the funds needed to carry it out are slipping away. With the U.S. slashing aid and abandoning climate pledges under President Trump, the global safety net promised to nations most vulnerable to climate change is beginning to fray. In Fiji, many residents now face the choice between an underfunded push to relocate and the impulse to stay on the land of their ancestors, even as rising seas are inching closer to washing away their homes. Luke Tuilawa, left, and Elena Qio, 8, go out to look for sea urchin and clams in Muani, Kadavu, Fiji on March 29, 2025. Muani, a coastal community that relies heavily on fishing, faces risks of storm surge and sea level rise due to climate change. The community residents constructed a drainage network to mitigate surface run-off. They also have a stone seawall at the same height as the village ground during high tide, which does not protect them from flooding. A nearby site is set aside for relocating the village, but the community’s connection to the land, the steep hills surrounding the community, and funding issues are all contributing to delays in moving. Meanwhile, large parts of the village are underwater during high tides or heavy rainfalls. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770709475653-2VCTVOCY5MV0I14IIL9N/0036_portfolio.JPG Fiji's Impossible Choice - Fiji's Impossible Choice A fishing boat leaves Muani, Kadavu, Fiji on March 29, 2025. Muani, a coastal community that relies heavily on fishing, faces risks of storm surge and sea level rise due to climate change. The community residents constructed a drainage network to mitigate surface run-off. They also have a stone seawall at the same height as the village ground during high tide, which does not protect them from flooding. A nearby site is set aside for relocating the village, but the community’s connection to the land, the steep hills surrounding the community, and funding are all contributing to delays in moving. Meanwhile, large parts of the village are underwater during high tides or heavy rainfalls. One community member, frustrated with the delays in moving the village, decided to begin constructing his family's new home on the original land, as seen in the bottom of the image, using money he made working abroad. Building his home in a place that floods was a controversial choice, but the timing of the relocation is uncertain and continues to be delayed. He decided this land was his home and his family needed shelter. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770709592250-E1OB0DJQD6ZH7Y68C21R/0037_portfolio.JPG Fiji's Impossible Choice - Fiji's Impossible Choice Raikro Beitaki anxiously checks the water level outside because she is concerned the water will rise to their house during a heavy rainstorm in Muani, Kadavu, Fiji on March 29, 2025. Her husband, Malakai Kuve, thinks that in ten years the village will be underwater. The village is on a list to be relocated to higher ground, but that move has not started yet. The idea of moving away from this land “makes me sad,” he said. “My father passed here. He taught me everything here.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770709592341-BQAA3HX6ADX9Q6ULMVV0/0038_portfolio.JPG Fiji's Impossible Choice - Fiji's Impossible Choice In the pouring rain during high tide, children play on waterlogged fishing boats and palm trees, which fell due to erosion from flooding, in Muani, Kadavu, Fiji on March 28, 2025. The water is murky from loose sand piled along the shore in an attempt build up the community's shoreline and protect its homes.Muani, a coastal community that relies heavily on fishing, faces risks of storm surge and sea level rise due to climate change. The community residents constructed a drainage network to mitigate surface run-off. They also have a stone seawall at the same height as the village ground during high tide, which does not protect them from flooding. A nearby site is set aside for relocating the village, but the community’s connection to the land, the steep hills surrounding the community, and funding are all contributing to delays in moving. Meanwhile, large parts of the village are underwater during high tides or heavy rainfalls. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770709946989-RCUTMOZJLWIWLC04L0PV/0039_portfolio.JPG Fiji's Impossible Choice - Fiji's Impossible Choice Mariana Sarawaqa stands for a portrait amongst the mangroves she planted herself to help protect the shoreline in Vunisavisavi, Vanua Levu, Fiji on March 25, 2025. Threatened by sea level rise, storm surges, and high tides, USAID moved a handful of households to higher ground, but most people in the community vowed to remain where they were. This was in part due to the significance of the land, which holds a sacred gravesite where one of the country’s most important chiefs is buried. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770709960260-K5VKWZ11NX2UBC8YRURT/0040_portfolio.JPG Fiji's Impossible Choice - Fiji's Impossible Choice The community gathers to drink kava in memory of a community member who recently passed away in Muani, Kadavu, Fiji on March 28, 2025. Kava, a mildly sedative drink made from yaqona plant roots and served in a communal bowl, is a vital part of Fijian culture. It is frequently served during ceremonial gatherings and social events. Muani, a coastal community that relies heavily on fishing, faces risks of storm surge and sea level rise due to climate change. The community residents constructed a drainage network to mitigate surface run-off. They also have a stone seawall at the same height as the village ground during high tide, which does not protect them from flooding. A nearby site is set aside for relocating the village, but the community’s connection to the land, the steep hills surrounding the community, and funding are all contributing to delays in moving. Meanwhile, large parts of the village are underwater during high tides or heavy rainfalls. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770709980758-P1ZPC9UVHZNPL7S9N9RP/0041_portfolio.JPG Fiji's Impossible Choice - Fiji's Impossible Choice Baseva "Ba" Diroko, 44, stands on the steps of a destroyed home in Cogea, Vanua Levu, Fiji on March 26, 2025. The Wainunu river previously flooded the village during two cyclones, washing away several homes. Flooding from the river is a concern for the future of the community causing the relocation of the community higher up the valley. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770709996466-54GIB7JDVSTFAL40JXZH/0042_portfolio.JPG Fiji's Impossible Choice - Fiji's Impossible Choice Abraham Joji Seru, 10, rests with Lemeki Navusolo at home in Muani, Kadavu, Fiji on March 29, 2025. Lemeki works at the school and runs a local shop in the community. Many community members have multiple roles in the village, because it is remote and self-reliant. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770710012827-QBKTI2TDUN6HWM72MUYP/0043_portfolio.JPG Fiji's Impossible Choice - Fiji's Impossible Choice Anare Ratulutu, 11, walks through flooding, which happens frequently due to high tides and heavy rains, as it begins to reach the homes in Muani, Kadavu, Fiji on March 28, 2025.Muani, a coastal community that relies heavily on fishing, faces risks of storm surge and sea level rise due to climate change. The community residents constructed a drainage network to mitigate surface run-off. They also have a stone seawall at the same height as the village ground during high tide, which does not protect them from flooding. A nearby site is set aside for relocating the village, but the community’s connection to the land, the steep hills surrounding the community, and funding are all contributing to delays in moving. Meanwhile, large parts of the village are underwater during high tides or heavy rainfalls. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770710042714-ECSC9KEB5Y7TWR2VAM8R/0044_portfolio.JPG Fiji's Impossible Choice - Fiji's Impossible Choice An old boat sits in the mud at low tide in Vunisavisavi, Vanua Levu, Fiji on March 25, 2025. Threatened by sea level rise, storm surges, and high tides, USAID moved a handful of households to higher ground, but most people in the community vowed to remain where they were. This was in part due to the significance of the land, which holds a sacred gravesite where one of the country’s most important chiefs is buried. As the high water recedes, communities in Fiji are often left with the damage that remains and an impossible choice: to stay and risk the water's wrath or leave their ancestral land and seek higher ground. http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/sudan-left-to-die daily 0.75 2026-02-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770718666012-N1ARAL0SMR8L8WSOCPW4/0024_portfolio.JPG Sudan: Left to Die - Sudan: Left to Die In May 2025, the Sudanese people were facing two very different but equally stark challenges. Civilians increasingly became targets in the battle between the military and the RSF paramilitary forces, which are fighting for control. In one particularly gruesome incident in the city of Omdurman, the massacre of 31 people was carried out by RSF fighters. Ravaged by civil war for more than two years, pockets of famine are spreading across Sudan, 25 million people need aid, and more than 12 million have fled their homes. While President Donald Trump’s cuts to U.S. foreign aid are the most significant in American history, testimonies and estimates show the aid cuts have likely killed hundreds of thousands. Motasim Salih patrols a destroyed section of Omdurman, Sudan where bodies remain in the street from recent fighting on May 24, 2025. In a battle between Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces, 31 people were massacred here the month before. Ravaged by civil war for more than two years, pockets of famine are spreading across Sudan, 25 million people need aid, and more than 12 million have fled their homes. While President Donald Trump’s cuts to U.S. foreign aid are the most significant in American history, testimonies and estimates show the cuts have likely killed hundreds of thousands. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770718666012-N1ARAL0SMR8L8WSOCPW4/0024_portfolio.JPG Sudan: Left to Die - Sudan: Left to Die In May 2025, the Sudanese people were facing two very different but equally stark challenges. Civilians increasingly became targets in the battle between the military and the RSF paramilitary forces, which are fighting for control. In one particularly gruesome incident in the city of Omdurman, the massacre of 31 people was carried out by RSF fighters. Ravaged by civil war for more than two years, pockets of famine are spreading across Sudan, 25 million people need aid, and more than 12 million have fled their homes. While President Donald Trump’s cuts to U.S. foreign aid are the most significant in American history, testimonies and estimates show the aid cuts have likely killed hundreds of thousands. Motasim Salih patrols a destroyed section of Omdurman, Sudan where bodies remain in the street from recent fighting on May 24, 2025. In a battle between Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces, 31 people were massacred here the month before. Ravaged by civil war for more than two years, pockets of famine are spreading across Sudan, 25 million people need aid, and more than 12 million have fled their homes. While President Donald Trump’s cuts to U.S. foreign aid are the most significant in American history, testimonies and estimates show the cuts have likely killed hundreds of thousands. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770718664886-MV06NNVUJOKSPP5SLU6U/0025_portfolio.JPG Sudan: Left to Die - Sudan: Left to Die People pass through a destroyed section of Omdurman, Sudan where bodies remain in the street from recent fighting on May 24, 2025. In a battle between Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces, 31 people were massacred here the month before. Ravaged by civil war for more than two years, pockets of famine are spreading across Sudan, 25 million people need aid, and more than 12 million have fled their homes. While President Donald Trump’s cuts to U.S. foreign aid are the most significant in American history, testimonies and estimates show the cuts have likely killed hundreds of thousands. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770718664097-Y7EWFB64TTNF6PEW12LF/0026_portfolio.JPG Sudan: Left to Die - Sudan: Left to Die A fighter passes by a destroyed section of Omdurman, Sudan on May 24, 2025. Since Sudan’s civil war erupted in April 2023, more than 150,000 people have been killed in the conflict, though some estimates that include related deaths due to disease and famine suggest more than 400,000 have died. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770718663151-X8HS05CLARTIQ4WELQPP/0027_portfolio.JPG Sudan: Left to Die - Sudan: Left to Die Fatma Swak Fadul sits for a portrait with a shirt from her son Omer, who starved to death, at home in Mayo Mandala on the outskirts of Omdurman, Sudan on May 25, 2025. Her daughter Nada also starved to death at a year and a half. Amid mounting famine and cholera, 25 million Sudanese in urgent need faced a sudden elimination of crucial American foreign assistance, including food supplies for children, which had an immediate and deadly impact. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770718662015-2TPI6NM1KP8OYXL0EE7E/0028_portfolio.JPG Sudan: Left to Die - Sudan: Left to Die From right, Maaz Waleed, Mazin Waleed, and Eltagi Khaled hang out at a market in a destroyed section of Omdurman, Sudan on May 24, 2025. While the boys played and watched people unload food, Maaz and Mazin's father cooked beans in a small pot over an open fire on the ground in an alley to feed his entire family. Food is available in Sudan, but often too expensive for people to purchase. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770718661412-PIPCF5PBUNXF8RF995VF/0029_portfolio.JPG Sudan: Left to Die - Sudan: Left to Die A dog runs through a community called Mayo Mandala, where aid cuts have affected a feeding center and a soup kitchen, on the outskirts of Omdurman, Sudan on May 25, 2025. Ravaged by civil war for more than two years, pockets of famine are spreading across Sudan, 25 million people need aid, and more than 12 million have fled their homes. While President Donald Trump’s cuts to U.S. foreign aid are the most significant in American history, testimonies and estimates show the cuts have likely killed hundreds of thousands. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770718660183-PM6I57BEKWONX2ERTK3R/0030_portfolio.JPG Sudan: Left to Die - Sudan: Left to Die Liana Ashot Chuol, 7, looks up for help as she holds her sister Reem, who she cares for alone, at Almanar feeding center in Mayo Mandala on the outskirts of Omdurman, Sudan on May 25, 2025. Their mother went to South Sudan looking for work and their eldest sister left to search for her, which meant Liana and Reem needed to fend for themselves. They are emergency level malnourished and had not eaten anything a day prior to coming to the center. The center measures levels of malnutrition in children and provides families a high calorie fortified peanut paste paid for by the American government. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770718659550-T4FCXEEU1FP8T86DKQ73/0031_portfolio.JPG Sudan: Left to Die - Sudan: Left to Die Families gather to receive aid at Almanar feeding center in Mayo Mandala on the outskirts of Omdurman, Sudan on May 25, 2025. The center measures levels of malnutrition in children and provides families a high calorie fortified peanut paste paid for by the American government. While children in Sudan starved to death, USAID cuts meant that halted shipments of the paste sat going to waste in a warehouse in the United States. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770718657488-TCXK5SNT2SU5JIGWIWBY/0032_portfolio.JPG Sudan: Left to Die - Sudan: Left to Die A man, doubled over in discomfort, is treated for cholera at a mobile medical clinic held in Omdurman, Sudan on May 24, 2025. Cholera, which is spread through contaminated food and water, is treatable with rehydration and antibiotics, but severe cases can lead to death within hours if left untreated. Access to treatment, especially with dwindling foreign aid, can be difficult to find in Sudan.Ravaged by civil war for more than two years, pockets of famine are spreading across Sudan, 25 million people need aid, and more than 12 million have fled their homes. While President Donald Trump’s cuts to U.S. foreign aid are the most significant in American history, testimonies and estimates show the cuts have likely killed hundreds of thousands. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1770718658381-GXPP65OH202PQ74F9IP1/0033_portfolio.JPG Sudan: Left to Die - Sudan: Left to Die People sell produce in Khartoum, Sudan on May 25, 2025. While food is available for sale, it is too expensive for many families to afford to eat and much of it is unsafe with the spread of cholera and other food-borne illness. With disappearing foreign aid and bodies rotting in the streets, families must figure out how to feed their children and hope the food is not tainted with cholera. While the war continues on, so too must daily life. http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/no-answer daily 0.75 2012-09-19 http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/carmen-pedro-a-love-story daily 0.75 2012-09-19 http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/driving-force daily 0.75 2012-09-19 http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/about daily 0.75 2026-02-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1496182012822-3E2XL5ZXV4Q8KC4TZKS7/image-asset.jpeg About Photo by Ray Whitehouse http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/resume daily 0.75 2026-02-10 http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/world-within-our-own daily 0.75 2017-06-30 http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/new-page daily 0.75 2015-03-10 http://www.carolynvanhouten.com/test daily 0.75 2013-03-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531084508-PVNRX9S6Q9E82YQ96DZS/043_PORTFOLIO.JPG test - 043_PORTFOLIO.JPG Sabar Bano, 45, walks through a destroyed section of Dahan-e-Seli in Baghlan, Afghanistan on November 6, 2024. Her husband died while he prayed for everyone’s survival during a flash flood that swept through the village, killing thirteen. A neighbor managed to help her and her children escape. At this moment, all of the men in the village were away at a wedding so the women could not leave the community. Women need a mahram, or a male chaperone, with them when they leave the village. With her husband gone, she must have her ten-year-old son chaperone her outside of her home. Three years after their takeover of Afghanistan, the Taliban has implemented dozens of new laws and restrictions against women. Requiring women to have a male chaperone whenever they leave their home, banning them from public spaces, limiting access to education, preventing them from holding jobs, and silencing their voices. This has left women with little hope for the future. This story, done in part despite a ban on photographing living beings, is a rare look at some of the issues Afghan women face under these new Taliban laws. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531081685-LQ0KWVH56WVS4B7AV8AB/024_PORTFOLIO.JPG test - 024_PORTFOLIO.JPG HERAT, AFGHANISTAN-MAY 11:A Taliban police officer drives an American humvee to a flood zone as other Taliban officers watch from the bed of a truck through his windshield in Chesht-e-Sharif, Herat, Afghanistan on May 11, 2024. Flash floods hit the area damaging homes and destroying crops. Many American military supplies were left behind and taken over by the Taliban after the United States pulled out of the country. Without proper emergency response equipment, this Taliban police unit has resorted to using the humvee left behind to help them in emergency situations, like the floods. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531087084-26EWEGBNYTFQWR24YW70/050_PORTFOLIO.JPG test - 050_PORTFOLIO.JPG KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN-MAY 7:Refugees who said they first fled the war in Afghanistan and then fled climate challenges in Pakistan to return to Afghanistan stand in a refugee camp in Kandahar province in Afghanistan on May 7, 2024. This area used to grow opium poppy plants, but have been converted to other crops.For decades, Afghanistan was the top exporter of opium in the world, accounting for more than 80 percent of the global supply prior to last year. Two-thirds of the country’s opium poppies were grown in southern Afghanistan, where temperatures in the last fifty years increased by up to 4.3 degrees Fahrenheit. The hardy plants thrived despite the harsh, salty desert landscape. Farmers relied on the crop to make their living through droughts and heat. Two years ago, after the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, they banned opium on religious grounds. Afghan farmers turning to alternative crops are finding that many no longer grow well because of the impact of climate change. This is forcing some farmers to abandon their fields, while others are weighing whether they should continue to comply with the ban on poppy cultivation. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1395629870392-Y7U05GP67KQTKNYSL4LL/C68-10-VanHC-A-01.JPG test “If these people don’t ever release me from prison, if I exhaust all my remedies in court, I’m gonna make these people kill me,” Daniel Taylor said to his brother, David Taylor during the third time that David purposefully got himself incarcerated in order to spend time with Daniel. When Daniel Taylor was 17, he was wrongly convicted of a double murder that he physically could not have committed. Police investigators beat him into the false confession that sealed his fate, but there was paperwork to prove he had been in police custody for disorderly conduct at the time the murders occurred. Daniel spent two decades of his life sentence looking out from behind bars knowing that he had every right to be free. On June 28th, 2013, the charges against Daniel were dropped and he was released from maximum-security prison in Menard, IL. According to the National Registry of Exonerations, Daniel was the 90th to be exonerated in Cook County since 1989 and the 34th to be wrongfully convicted based on a faulty confession. This portrait is a part of a larger story, Exonerated: Am I Really Free?, which was done for the Chicago Tribune.   https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1498026303651-JDJIGQNH5K4GREN06Z9K/CVH_climaterefugees_001.JPG test Reggie Parfait, left, Juliette Brunet, and Howard Brunet stand for a portrait behind their uncle Chris Brunet's house on Isle de Jean Charles, Louisiana, USA on April 21, 2016. "We have to be careful with the .22; we need those shells for food," Chris, who is raising Juliette and Howard, said. Because they do not have a car and Chris is in a wheelchair, they cannot always get off of the island to get groceries. Instead, they make do with the limited resources the island can still provide. On this night, they made rabbit stew. Chris Brunet is the eighth generation in his family to live on the island as a member of the tribe. In one generation, "this island has gone from being self-sufficient and fertile to relying on grocery stores," he says. "What you see now is a skeleton of the island it once was." Since 1955, the Isle de Jean Charles Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw Tribe has lost 98 percent of its land to the encroaching Gulf waters. The Tribe's identity, food, and culture have slowly eroded with the land. In response, the Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded the Tribe $48 million to relocate through the National Disaster Resilience Competition. As the effects of climate change transform coastal communities around the world, the people of Isle de Jean Charles will be only 60 of the estimated 200 million people in coastal communities globally who could be displaced by 2050 because of climate change. This image was a part of The First Official Climate Refugees in the U.S. Race Against Time story I wrote and photographed for National Geographic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1498026375156-R989VVAWPFGXC6SRHEJL/CVH_043.JPG test Humpback whales swim through Cierva Cove along the Western Antarctic Peninsula on March 21, 2016. As climate change slowly raises temperatures in Antarctica, the longer summers mean that humpback whales stay in the area feeding much longer than they historically have. This delays their migration and breeding as well as increasing their body size. This photo is from the Searching for Whales in Antarctica story done for National Geographic on how climate change is affecting whale populations in Antarctica.     https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1456028194149-CD8U5FQBEIU8PBU90K5A/BAMBERGERS_011.JPG test Serenity Bamberger floats in the Little Blanco River along her family's property on August 18, 2015 in Blanco, Texas. Three months prior, over Memorial Day, the same river flooded their home and business destroying the majority of the family's belongings and source of income. The Memorial Day weekend flooding, which affected Texas and Oklahoma, killed 24 people according to The Associated Press. Three of those deaths occurred along the Blanco River of which the Little Blanco River is a direct tributary. Despite the toll the river has taken, Bertha Rivera, Serenity's grandmother, said, "The river bed was dry for years, so now that the water is here I tell the girls to take advantage of it all that they can." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550975236777-COQ3R5SLJBGL80FFOLIT/CVH_1536.jpg test - Displaced by Harvey David Elliott looks on as Susan Elliott kisses one of their rescue dogs on their bed in their home in Wharton, Texas on June 29, 2018. When the flood from Hurricane Harvey came into their home they had to stay on top of their bed, which was surrounded by water, to stay dry and safe. The bedroom was the first room that they started repairing. Although still not finished, the bedroom remains one of the only rooms that is able to be lived in safely a year after the hurricane. They call it their "command center" because they do everything in this room, including eating their meals. "Our bedroom is still the only place where we can live," Susan said. "For months I didn't want to come out of the bedroom." Susan said that during the flood, her dog "Little Baby stayed on the bed with me the whole time. The dogs kept us calm. Baby kept me from collapsing." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1444027298340-8YCI9P11B4TENIAWSUXG/C70-14-VanHC-03.JPG test Erin O'Loughlin embraces her son Brendan O'Loughlin after his brother Marcus O'Loughlin, who has autism, attacked him while they were playing on the trampoline outside the family's home in Cary, NC on October 6, 2014. As Marcus has aged, the frustrations that result from his autism have turned him violent towards his family. Shortly after this incident Erin and her husband Colm O'Loughlin decided to permanently move Marcus, at age 11, to an assisted living facility for their other children's safety as well as their own. "We know in our hearts that Marcus is going to need assistance for the rest of his life," Erin said. "As far as Marcus living a regular normal life with everybody else in the world, that might not be right for him and he might not be happy with that, so why should I push that on him? We just want Marcus to be happy. We want him to reach his full potential, whatever that might be." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1498026473296-LS761Q8XCE37R2TZOQNV/20160627_hb2SCOTUS_cvh_001_1.JPG test Whole Woman's Health, plaintiffs in the Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt case, and women's reproductive and abortion rights advocates react to the Supreme Court of the United States' 5-3 ruling in a closed Whole Woman's Health clinic, in Austin, Texas, USA on June 27, 2016. The plaintiffs argued that Texas House Bill 2, which closed dozens of abortion clinics across Texas including this one, was unconstitutional. The Supreme Court agreed and ruled that Texas cannot place restrictions on abortion providers that pose an undue burden on women trying to access abortions. Upon hearing what is being considered the nation's most significant abortion ruling in a generation, those gathered hoped that closed clinics, such as this one, will be able to someday reopen because of this ruling. On the wall of a procedure room in the closed clinic, there is a Sojourner Truth quote that reads, "The truth is powerful and it prevails." The clinic reopened nearly a year later. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550975245185-YZCW9611JGJ7NHIUEXE2/CVH_4319_1.jpg test William Rafael Carranza Martinez laughs after running away from the waves with Jessica Carolina Dominguez Martinez, 1, and Elda Hidalia Martinez, 9, near the border wall before marrying his partner at the beginning of the March Without Borders at Friendship Park on April 29, 2018 in Tijuana, Mexico. Hundreds of migrants from Central America traveled for about a month across Mexico to reach the United States border. In the afternoon, the group, including the Martinez family, plans to go to the San Ysidro border crossing south of San Diego, California, where many of the migrants will seek asylum. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550975258354-8RRXRTW8YUTYI0A4UXKW/CVH_7224+2.jpg test Police officers stand guard at the scene of a shooting while the Comandos de Salvamento attend to the shooter, who was also shot, on a street in San Salvador, El Salvador on September 29, 2018. Earlier that day there had been another shooting in the same area. The Comandos de Salvamento are a first responder volunteer group that aids in stabilizing and transporting people who have been victims of violence, accidents or need emergency medical care. Many volunteers became members of the group as a way to stay out of gangs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1550975259571-XP3Q4K5S8Z6U61SZ2EIY/CVH_7546B.jpg test Cindy Romero, 24, from Honduras, holds her son Jason Velasquez, 2, and shields him from the cold winds coming off of the Pacific ocean as they wait with friends at the beach on November 29, 2018 in Tijuana, Mexico. They were weighing their options and deciding whether they should cross the border illegally at the beach to ask for asylum. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1381033515847-YK8V3P02C2TCHGK5FFJ6/C68-03-VanHC-05.JPG test Children play along the 12th Street Beach in Chicago on August 13, 2013. Lifeguards had told them to get out of Lake Michigan because of rip tides and high levels of e. coli. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1418008706724-891AQE28I0DP650XHN91/VanHouten_Carolyn_Portfolio_selects_15.JPG test Joshua Seitter, 12, and Whiskey Lullaby stand for a portrait at the North Carolina State Fair on October 25, 2013. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1444027317218-MFDCK8ZD51JP31TED8A4/C70-14-VanHC-01.JPG test Caiden Contreras, who has autism, stands for a portrait in the room he shares with three of his brothers at his home in San Antonio, Texas on May 27, 2015. His parents are both unemployed and living off of his and some of his siblings' disability checks, as well as several other forms of financial assistance from the government. His mother Sandra Contreras homeschools Caiden and four of his seven siblings at their home. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1498026565582-WTYE8QDG2AK3HZ53MHER/CHARRO_CVH_017.JPG test Charros try to lasso a loose horse as a part of the Anniversary of the Mexican Revolution Charreada at the San Antonio Charros Association in San Antonio, Texas, USA on November 20, 2016. These charreadas are seen as a way for Mexican-Americans to hold onto and honor their heritage. Teams are often comprised of several generations of family members. The modern style of charreada developed after the Mexican Revolution, when the traditional charros began to disappear. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1456028249768-IQXI8D8JEUZ1SA5T13X9/2014_BookNYC_CVH014.JPG test Casey attended her final high school prom with her mother Janice at Forest Park High School on April 26, 2014. Although many people with autism are overwhelmed by loud noise and wild lights, Casey loved to dance with her mother to the music and watch her classmates interact. Her brother Emerson, who attends Forest Park, was also there with a group of his friends. Janice said, "I honestly think she felt like Cinderella or Belle that day and if it takes me going with her to make that happen, it is worth it to me." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1456028193011-CYRXBH1K8F9HAWXTEQTZ/AO6A3529.JPG test At nearly midnight on June 2, 2015, Alondra Aragon, center, led a chant in City Hall in San Franciso, Calif. immediately after the Mission Moratorium was voted on. The final vote was 7-4 in favor of the moratorium, but the measure needed nine votes to be passed as an "interim emergency ordinance." Aragon and dozens of other Mission Moratorium supporters had filled the room for over eight hours that day. Of the supporters, San Francisco Board of Supervisors Member John Avalos said, "The rich fabric of the Mission is what is here today." Katy Tang, the supervisor from District 4, said, "This was incredibly moving for me, although at times emotional, very inspirational." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1405725463070-4RAEQOBB71E6H9NKJH02/baseball2.JPG test Reid Howard of Ferdinand, 8, walked a bat back to the dugout during the Class 2A sectional game in Tell City, IN on May 30, 2014. Forest Park was defeated by South Spencer 9-2. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1397529543923-MS39U0EVMDMZFX6G9ALB/140305_sectionalsouthridge16_CVH.jpg test Southridge senior Ethan Schwoeppe, bottom, Luke Stetter, junior, Drew Dearing, freshman, and Braden Harding, freshman, stacked on top of each other and cheered for the Raiders during halftime of their game against Washington in the IHSAA Class 3A sectional tournament in Huntingburg, IN on Wednesday. The Raiders lost 41-35. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1381033358867-6M39CS1GI3XQRQUO40BP/C68-03-VanHC-03.JPG test A victim of a rape holds her hands to her face after recalling what happened during the attack in Hazel Crest, Ill. on Wednesday, August 7, 2013. The Robbins Police Department failed to investigate the rape, which is now outside the statute of limitations. However, investigators are working on 52 other rape cases that remain within the statute of limitations. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531072056-G8SY166S9RWB45ZWT2AN/002_PORTFOLIO.JPG test - 002_PORTFOLIO.JPG KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN-MAY 7:Ataullah Noorzai, 30, who used to grow opium poppies and now has resorted to wheat, stands for a portrait in a shelter by his field in Kandahar province in Afghanistan on May 7, 2024. He said that his soil has become very salty and the revenue from wheat and barley is so meager that he has had to start borrowing from neighbors to make ends meet.For decades, Afghanistan was the top exporter of opium in the world, accounting for more than 80 percent of the global supply prior to last year. Two-thirds of the country’s opium poppies were grown in southern Afghanistan, where temperatures in the last fifty years increased by up to 4.3 degrees Fahrenheit. The hardy plants thrived despite the harsh, salty desert landscape. Farmers relied on the crop to make their living through droughts and heat. Two years ago, after the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, they banned opium on religious grounds. Afghan farmers turning to alternative crops are finding that many no longer grow well because of the impact of climate change. This is forcing some farmers to abandon their fields, while others are weighing whether they should continue to comply with the ban on poppy cultivation. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531075727-EIZV5EJO44YH8J25RXT0/003_PORTFOLIO.JPG test - 003_PORTFOLIO.JPG https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531075609-R7QMBVCHYIG4PVCKUVG3/004_PORTFOLIO.JPG test - 004_PORTFOLIO.JPG ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, ALASKA - JUNE 28:Caribou gather in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which is about the size of South Carolina, in Alaska on June 28, 2024. The fate of the refuge, its wildlife, and the oil reserves within it have been fought over for half-a-century. The Porcupine caribou herd, one of the world’s longest land migrations of mammals, passes through the refuge every year. Some opponents say that oil drilling will impede their migration. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531077522-ESVXS624D3ZILN1G1JQA/005_PORTFOLIO.JPG test - 005_PORTFOLIO.JPG KAKTOVIK, ALASKA - JUNE 28:Marie Rexford, Inũpiat resident, embraces the sunlight during a whaling feast in Kaktovik, Alaska on June 28, 2024. The fate of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, its wildlife, and the oil reserves within it have been fought over for half-a-century. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531077376-BPJ3VO0HPZ2XNGTKIOZL/006_PORTFOLIO.JPG test - 006_PORTFOLIO.JPG JAMESTOWN, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 18:on September 18, 2024 in Jamestown, NY. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531089372-4DRIV8UJC8CHE3KH87AK/20190828_cvh_dominica_2012.JPG test - 20190828_cvh_dominica_2012.JPG SOUFRIERE, DOMINICA - AUGUST 28:Jayden Bruce, 12, swims with friends in Soufriere, Dominica on August 28, 2024. In Dominica, which was destroyed by Hurricane Maria, the Citizenship By Investment program allows foreign nationals to get citizenship by investing money into real estate projects or contributing funds to pay for climate resilience projects. The projects include resilient infrastructure, shelters, medical centers, and housing for people who lost their homes to natural disasters.(Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531073175-8JAC8YMHELHK7M17Y1SO/001_PORTFOLIO.JPG test - 001_PORTFOLIO.JPG KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN-MAY 7:Asana, 9, holds Zaid Ahmad, 2, while walking with her sister Hafiza by their home in La'al Khan Qala in Kandahar province, Afghanistan on May 7, 2024. Their father Bashir Ahmad Durrani, 38, said prices for opium in Kandahar were lower because smuggling routes were limited in the area. According to Durban, some people left the village because of issues with the drought.For decades, Afghanistan was the top exporter of opium in the world, accounting for more than 80 percent of the global supply prior to last year. Two-thirds of the country’s opium poppies were grown in southern Afghanistan, where temperatures in the last fifty years increased by up to 4.3 degrees Fahrenheit. The hardy plants thrived despite the harsh, salty desert landscape. Farmers relied on the crop to make their living through droughts and heat. Two years ago, after the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, they banned opium on religious grounds. Afghan farmers turning to alternative crops are finding that many no longer grow well because of the impact of climate change. This is forcing some farmers to abandon their fields, while others are weighing whether they should continue to comply with the ban on poppy cultivation. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531081051-U3VDAYI1WO22HNHQMFSQ/015_PORTFOLIO.JPG test - 015_PORTFOLIO.JPG NEW ORLEANS, LA - May 4:Nicole collapses in a chair after attending a birthday dinner for her mother at her home in New Orleans, LA on May 4, 2023. Nicole was 14 when Officer Rodney Vicknair, then 53, of the New Orleans Police Department took her to the hospital for a rape examination after she said her 17-year-old friend forced himself on her. Four months later, Vicknair was instead arrested for also sexually assaulting Nicole. A Washington Post investigation found that at least 1,800 state and local police officers were charged with crimes involving child abuse from 2005 through 2022. Abusive officers most frequently targeted girls between 13 and 15 years old and regularly met them while on the job. The victim is being identified by her middle name only, to protect her identity. (Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/TWP) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531083884-8Q3RC8NI6JMIFGGP0XP2/033_PORTFOLIO.JPG test - 033_PORTFOLIO.JPG Malik Stanikzai’s horse, left, rears as men groom and prepare horses ahead of a buzkashi tournament in Baghlan, Afghanistan on November 7, 2024. Horses are often imported from neighboring countries, costing tens of thousands of dollars. Owners have men whose sole job is to care for them. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531087208-CDRFFRMCZE0ATAHC4EJQ/046_PORTFOLIO.JPG test - 046_PORTFOLIO.JPG Rather than watching the violent clashes on horseback, hundreds of men stare at the only woman in attendance during a buzkashi tournament in Baghlan, Afghanistan on November 7, 2024. Often threatened with arrest for trying, women are banned from attending many public events and spaces. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531466302-JB7RSCIYP97GSGGPLYFE/portfolio_014.JPG test - portfolio_014.JPG Matt Boyle tosses a small crab back as Luke McFadden, a crabber who has 1.6 million followers on TikTok, checks about 500 of his crab pots from his boat F.V. Southern Girl in the Chesapeake Bay on June 16, 2023 near Pasadena, MD. “I didn’t do this to get famous, I just want to crab,” he said. “There’s not a next generation of fishermen. All my peers are twice my age. They don’t retire. They can’t. They just die. My main point of social media is to make people care about watermen. The industry is at a crossroads right now.” A first generation crabber, he is one of the only crabbers of color and one of the youngest working on the Chesapeake Bay. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531467290-DBVH7MA177XSY8V5BC17/portfolio_015.JPG test - portfolio_015.JPG Emma Thomson of the Coral Restoration Foundation works among dead coral at a reef site called Pickles off the coast of Key Largo, FL on November 27, 2023. A marine heatwave over the summer killed much of the world’s third largest reef so quickly that the coral did not have time to bleach first. Thomson sobbed when she saw the reef for the first time after the mass death event. Dead coral lack color and are often covered in a moss-like overgrowth. “Back when I was an intern in 2016, I was working and feeling everything so deeply,” Thomson said. “Then Hurricane Irma hit and it wiped everything clear. Everything was just gone. It looked like someone had poured concrete over it and now, once again, another massive event comes through and decimates the corals. Seeing the skeletons is the worst part.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531469913-J6TLQ11VUGN4U7TE3K6F/portfolio_020.JPG test - portfolio_020.JPG Thousands of asylum-seeking migrants gathered on the US/Mexico border in the final hours of the Trump-era immigration policy, Title 42. When Title 42 expired at midnight on May 11th and Title 8 went into effect, the repercussions for crossing the border illegally became more severe. The flow of migrants crossing the Rio Grande River slowed significantly. However, the conditions at the encampment are squalid and the migrants, especially those seeking asylum legally via the CBP One app, say they have nowhere to turn. Alexander Nova holds Santiago Quintero, 6, as migrants seeking asylum traverse the Rio Grande River in order to cross the United States border before Title 42 expires on May 11, 2023 in Matamoros, Mexico. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531471135-UWGCEY74E4GENA0M13GK/portfolio_021.JPG test - portfolio_021.JPG Realizing the baby is drowning face-down in the water, migrants flip the baby over gasping for air in an attempt to save its life while trying not to drown themselves as they cross the Rio Grande River to the United States border on May 11, 2023 in Matamoros, Mexico. People waiting on the banks of the river could see the baby was drowning before the men in the water could, so they desperately shouted to the men. The thick vegetation in the river hid the reality of the deep water, making the crossing in hopes of asylum in the hours before Title 42 expired that night very dangerous. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531473304-FE5ITVRW76BGK6D8AFAQ/portfolio_023.JPG test - portfolio_023.JPG Isabel Rizzo, 25, and Alejandro Torre Alva, 27, both migrants from Venezuela seeking asylum rest on a walkway near the United States border on May 12, 2023 in Matamoros, Mexico. Information about changes to immigration policy spreads through migrant camps quickly, but is often inaccurate or confusing by the time it reaches an asylum-seeker. Resting along the main walkway through the tent encampment increases their chances of hearing enough information that they can piece together something close to the facts about how changes will affect them, such as with Title 42. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531474100-IFKEGSAX3MJPLNLL0XO3/portfolio_025.JPG test - portfolio_025.JPG Miley Vasquez, 9, waits with her family in hopes of getting a credible fear interview, a first step in the process of seeking asylum, at the United States border on May 12, 2023 in Matamoros, Mexico. When Title 42 expired, Title 8 went into effect. In Title 8, Mexicans can once again seek asylum in the United States. Vasquez’s family said that gang violence in Acapulco, Mexico was driving them from their home so as soon as Title 42 lifted, they wanted to try for asylum. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531476395-1XLWKRDORJHBEVVZE44P/portfolio_034.JPG test - portfolio_034.JPG Nancy Kidd, right, who is involved in running the Democrat tent, enjoys the Door County Fair with her granddaughter in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin on August 10, 2023. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531476926-1ONQSHUR4RXX56CBHAMS/portfolio_038.JPG test - portfolio_038.JPG Isela May Alcocer, 29, watches Ángel Hernandez, 2, play in the moldy, rat-infested trailer they share with seven others on May 16, 2023 in Door County, WI. A demand for housing and large numbers of vacant rental properties for tourists have resulted in a housing crisis in the area. Low-income families, especially the families of the migrant workers on dairy farms and fruit orchards in the area, sometimes have to share trailers with other families in order to afford rent and food. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531478209-JBQ4355JL2744ED1JT24/portfolio_039.JPG test - portfolio_039.JPG Michelle Henderson, owner, opens The Hen House Bar and Grill in Forestville, Door County, Wisconsin on October 12, 2023. The swing county, in the battleground state of Wisconsin, has backed every presidential election’s winning candidate since 2000. However, the county’s residents on both sides of the political aisle are tiring of politics altogether as the next election looms. Henderson, who often tends the bar, said she avoids political conversations with patrons because she is sick of politics. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531479587-RE4NPOICMAWO86WID61V/portfolio_045.JPG test - portfolio_045.JPG Drug cartels are using the Galápagos Islands as a gas station for the boats they use to smuggle cocaine north to Mexico and the United States. The cartels extort local fishermen who have access to subsidized gas. The large swaths of undeveloped land and small ports and airports on the islands make it easy for drugs to be smuggled through. In 2023, the navy seized nearly 25 tons of cocaine around the Galápagos—a 150 percent increase over 2022. Weapons are now also being smuggled along routes near the islands as Ecuadorian gangs fight for control of drug routes and violence in Ecuador soars.People hang out in Puerto Villamil on Isabela Island, Galápagos on April 25, 2023. While there is some demand for cocaine locally in this tourist hotspot, the majority is passing through on routes from South America north to Mexico and the US. Mexican and Albanian cartels’ efforts to meet an increasing demand for cocaine have aided in a historic increase in violence in Ecuador. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745531479275-875B0IJ4J91ZKL2APQ2R/portfolio_061bw.jpg test - portfolio_061bw.jpg Taking a break from playing video games, Brooke and Billy High toss Kendall as Olivia watches at home in Tampa, FL on June 25, 2023. Brooke says she is proud of the decisions they have made for their family. Billy is a mechanic for the Air Force, while Brooke cares for the girls full time. However, they both said that they miss the freedom they had before. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5059ed36c4aa7e7ffcccca6b/1745532485033-86RKWS3UBQDUOW2QCGYK/20241006_cvh_surinamejaguar_2274.JPG test - 20241006_cvh_surinamejaguar_2274.JPG BAKHUIS MOUNTAINS, SURINAME - OCTOBER 8:Marcos Carello, left, and Ashvin Partapsing, guides with Unlock Nature, use headlamps and a thermal camera to look for jaguars and other wildlife on the road from Paramaribo to the Bakhuis Mountains in Suriname after standing for a portrait on October 8, 2024. Chinese criminal organizations traffic jaguar parts out of Suriname as a part of a larger criminal enterprise in Latin America. The jaguars are often poached by hunters, loggers, miners, or community members who happen upon them while working and kill them because poached jaguars fetch a high price. The jaguar fangs and pelt are sold, while the rest of the jaguar is sometimes turned into paste or wine for Chinese medicinal purposes. Suriname is the most forested country on earth, making these acts difficult to track. Organizations like Earth League International use intelligence assets to investigate animal trafficking crimes, such as jaguar poaching and trafficking. 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