Breaking the Cycle

Childhood

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  Child's Memorial

  Mother: Crystal R
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  All her doors be open

  Mother: Shearine M
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  Taking Steps

  Mother: Ashley O
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  Childhood Innocence

  Mother: Ashley O
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  Carlos

  Mother: Ashley O

  "I just want people to know that he’s important and he’s just as important as the president’s kids, as the next person’s kids. He’s special, he’s going to be somebody… he’s not going to get left behind or he’s not going to be overshadowed and I’m not going to let him fall between the cracks."
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  Looking Up

  Mother: Ashley O
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  CJ

  Mother: Ashley O
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  Reach for the Stars

  Mother: Ashley O
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  Zharae

  Mother: Whitney H

  "This is me breaking the cycle with my daughter. I don’t want my daughter to go through nothing I went through."

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  Breaking the Cycle

  Mother: Whitney H

  This is me breaking the cycle with my daughter.  I don’t want my daughter to go through nothing I went through.

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  Whitney

  Mother: Whitney H

  "Misunderstood by many, loved by enough. I stand on my own two feet like a grown woman. Single mother of one and barely making it but never struggling."

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  Reaching Out

  Mother: Whitney H

  "I’m just tired, I’m just all tired. I just wanna get my daughter away from here and get my family away from this because it’s like they don’t care about the low-income people. If you’re not making enough money as they’re making, they don’t bother it. And I don’t think it’s right, I don’t think it’s right to us."

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  Close-up of Zharae

  Mother: Whitney H

  "I’m gonna be real with my daughter. Being as though my daughter lives in the hood,  I’m gonna be straightforward to her. When she gets old enough to understand what’s going on around her, I want her to understand where mommy coming from. I’m gonna tell her about everything. I’m gonna tell her about the drug gang. I’m gonna tell her about everything, because if you don’t teach your child then the streets will, and if you let the streets teach them then they’re gonna turn them out, they’re gonna destroy them." 

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  Sleeping

  Mother: Tianna G
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  Marques

  Mother: Tianna G
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  Marianna

  Mother: Tianna G
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  The Twins

  Mother: Tianna G
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  Marcus

  Mother: Tianna G
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  Medical Testing

  Mother: Tianna G
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  Holding the Bottle

  Mother: Tianna G