40 Years, 40 Faces: Carmen

Chesapeake, Virginia

Of Mexican heritage, Carmen and her family are longtime residents in her community. Her favorite childhood memory is of running through the countryside with her brothers, and playing in a stream. She wants to provide her own children with good childhood memories as well, but she works long hours. Carmen caulks and paints home interiors, and the work is tiring and hard. Still, Carmen finds the time to teach her five-year-old daughter and teenage son how to cook, starting with eggs and rice. They listen to music and garden together. If money didn’t matter, she’d spend as much time with them as possible. She wants them to remember her as being calm and at peace with other people.

##

“40 Years, 40 Faces” was a 2018 photography and storytelling project marking VPLC’s 40th anniversary. Photographer Glen McClure and writer Marshall McClure documented Virginians impacted by VPLC’s work, using portraits and interviews to highlight resilience, dignity, and the ongoing fight for justice.