Jeremy Clayton's Portfolio

WASHINGTON- Three years ago Kenneth Jackson didn’t realize his life would be completely changed forever.  He didn’t realize that he was becoming a new statistic.

“My father went to jail during my sophomore year. Although I was older, it still had a big effect on my life” Jackson said. In 2009, Jackson’s father was sentenced to six years in prison for a white-collar crime. Jackson is of the 16 percent of children between the ages of 15-18 with an incarcerated parent.

According to an article by the National Legislature of State Legislatures, Over 1.5 million children in the U.S. have a parent that is incarcerated in either a state or federal prison.  Studies show that the Black and Hispanic population of parents are growing disproportionately. Therefore, the children most affected by incarceration are children of African or Hispanic descent.

Jackson’s experience reflects the lives of many children in the United States. The effects of a child’s parent being incarcerated can be traumatic. These children face challenges such as financial instability, shame, and instability in family relationships.  Although the challenges are even greater for minor children, they still can have a great effect on older children.

Many children with incarcerated parents have problems in school soon after their parents are incarcerated. But Jackson’s experience was different.

“Actually my academics improved since he went to jail. The same year he went to jail, I got all A’s and B’s. I knew I had to fend for myself now” Jackson said.  

This is rare for children with incarcerated parents. Most children begin to misbehave and perform acts of delinquency in school as a result of isolation.

Another challenge children with incarcerated children have to deal with is the instability of the relationship with their incarcerated parents. These children have to go from constantly seeing their parents to seeing them during scheduled and supervised visits. During most of these visits, the child can’t even touch their parent.

 “We were very close. I used to Oovoo and Skype with him almost everyday because he lived in Canada. During winter break, spring break, and summer I would always see him” Jackson said.

Going from two parents providing for a child to only one can place a huge financial burden on a family. These economic strains can be difficult for children to deal with. 

“It was hard for me, because it was a huge burden because we had to pay lawyer fees” Jackson said. 

Fortunately Jackson’s mother was able to get a stable job and he was able to live a life without economic strain.

The families of children with incarcerated children tend to tell the child to not tell anyone about their parent’s incarceration. This usually leads to the child feeling an isolation or shame stigma.

“I didn’t tell anyone about it because my family told me it wasn’t a big idea. I didn’t tell any of my close friends, but when I got to Howard I told people because I was tired of living a secret life” Jackson said.

Unlike many children with incarcerated parents, Jackson went on to college and now he is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Business Management at one of the most prestigious universities in the nation.  His adversity has given him the motivation to succeed. “It was a very humbling experience, that made me the person I am today.”

WASHINGTON- Being a part of a black list is feared by many. But, an exhibit in the National Portrait Gallery turns the black list into a list of America’s most distinguished African-Americans.

Black History Month is an opportunity to explore and showcase the African-American culture. Some celebrate this month by visiting Frederick Douglass’s house in Anacostia, DC. Others attend seminars and lectures by today’s African-American leaders such as the president of the NAACP. But, the “Black List” exhibit has attracted many Washingtonians to the National Portrait Gallery to see who made this exclusive Black List.

“One of my co-workers recommended this exhibit as a great way to celebrate Black History Month” Kwaku Osei-Bonsu, a junior at Howard University, said.

Although this exhibit gives honor to prominent African- Americans, it gives pride to all African-Americans. The exhibit illustrates the success of African-Americans and the powerful impact they have in America, giving viewers a deeper understanding of the race.

“As a black women myself I think this provides a pretty good look into what it is to be an African-American, in general” Alexis Yasemin, a worker at the National Portrait Gallery, said.

Through stunning and powerful photos, the Black List shows viewers the beauty and diversity of African-American people.  

“This exhibit just begins to scratch the surface of the individuality of the Black People” Brandon Johnson, a 40 year old Washingtonian, said.

One of the most important aspects of this exhibit is its capability to encourage African-American children to be great and successful in their endeavors. Today, the media’s depiction of Black people is, in some cases, extremely negative.  Many children walked with their parents around the exhibit in amazement at the many accomplishments written on the plaques next to the portraits.

The Black List gave its viewers pride in their race and  “something to work towards, so that, hopefully [their] picture can be hanging up in the Black List” Tyrone Hankerson, a freshman at Howard University, said.

WASHINGTON- Florida has become one of the strictest states in regards to their unemployment and welfare requirements. This year’s new requirement has created an immense obstacle for struggling applicants.

According to the Huffington Post, “Earlier this year Scott signed legislation that will make Florida the stingiest state in America for people laid off through no fault of their own. Once the law takes full effect in January, jobless Floridians will be eligible for fewer and fewer weeks of benefits as the state's unemployment rate goes down.”

This bill is already in effect and has made it even harder for citizens to receive unemployment benefits. Now, applicants must take an initial skills review. The initial skills review is a standardized reading and math assessment.

It is stated in Section 443.091 of the Florida Statues “[Applicants] must ‘complete’ [the initial skills review], not required to pass”.

According to this bill, applicants who are “unable to complete such review due to illiteracy or a language impediment” are exempt from taking the review. But, citizens who are not in this category are having difficulty completing the review, such as citizens born in other countries.

“I can read and do basic math, but my job does require me to use these skills,” Vorna Ross, a 45-year-old Nicaraguan native and former nurse, said.

Now that the application is online, it has become harder for older applicants to get benefits because they are not used to the technology. Every job does not require the use of math and technology. Nora Del Medico has been a nurse for the elderly for 20 years. Her job never required her to use a computer or know higher-level math.

 “Everything is on the internet now, I barely know how to operate my phone. There used to be offices where you can go and talk to people. Now they barely have that,” Del Medico, a 60-year-old Florida resident, said with extreme anger and frustration.

As the requirements become more strenuous, applicants are becoming less patient when waiting for their unemployment benefits. In some cases, it could take a whole month to receive unemployment benefits.

“I applied in mid- January and I’m just receiving my check. It’s ridiculous,” Vorna Ross said.

The unemployment benefits are entitled to these recently unemployed citizens, but cannot be obtained until they complete a difficult math and reading test every time they apply.

“Every time I apply, the test makes me upset and frustrated. Sometimes I just give up,” Nora Del Medico said.

WASHINGTON--- Fashion bloggers have slowly taken over the front row of fashion shows, magazine spreads, and commercials.

“Every issue we have at least five quotations from fashion bloggers,” Amber Finney, an intern at Nylon magazine, said.

With the advancement of technology, blogging has become one of the biggest media outlets. Specifically, fashion blogs have become extremely popular in the fashion community. These fashion blogs have stolen the shine away from the big magazines because of their accessibility, appeal, and the fact that viewers are getting almost the same information they would get in a magazine for free. 

“I don’t buy magazines anymore I have a list of blogs I check every day,” Victoria Fortune, a fashion merchandising major at Howard University, said.

The bloggers behind these admired fashion blogs are becoming more prevalent at fashion shows and exclusive fashion events. These bloggers are considered to be just as valuable as famous magazines such as Nylon, Teen Vogue, and GQ.  Usually, bloggers start to receive invites when they reach 100,000 unique viewers a month.

“I started to realize that people were actually reading my blog when I started to get contacted by PR people,” Tamara Griffin from MalibuMara.com said.

Bloggers have become the voice of fashion consumers because readers know that these bloggers are not limited by rules and regulations. These bloggers are telling their readers exactly what they think about products and trends, which make the bloggers more relatable and, as a result, increase their readership.

“My readers don’t mind me cursing and being as blunt as I want to,” Tamara Griffin from MalibuMara.com said.

Today bloggers have changed the way magazines report about fashion shows. The latest trend in fashion reporting is street style. This trend was developed from bloggers posting “What I Wore” photos on their blog and sites such as Lookbook.nu.

“The photographers are snapping pictures of more stylish people outside of the fashion shows than the people sitting inside the show. I know bloggers who don’t get invited to fashion shows, hang out outside of the shows, and still get caught by photographers from Vogue and GQ,“ Ria, the founder and editor of RiaMichelle.com said.

According to Fashion 2.0: Blogging Your Way to the Front Row by Yuli Ziv, “ companies have created unique budgets for blogger sponsorship.”  Bloggers have such a big influence that companies are willing to pay for advertising space on their websites and give them free products to review on their blog. The money used for this advertising is taken away from the money companies would usually use for ads in fashion magazines and TV ads.

“I think magazines are upset that bloggers are taking away their readers, but it’s not our fault that they didn’t think of it first,” Ria from RiaMichelle.com said.

Fashion bloggers such as Bryan Boy and Tavi Gevinson have become style icons and made a career from their blog. They live off of sponsorships and advertising on their blogs, styling jobs for magazines, and TV appearances.

 “I look up to Bryan Boy and I hope that my blog will be just as popular as his one day,” said Tamara Griffin from MalibuMara.com.

Fashion bloggers have made the voice of the consumer extremely important. They have literally invaded and transformed the fashion industry.  These bloggers have influenced major magazines to create their own blogs and hire bloggers to write for them. Now, almost every magazine has a blog.

With great passion, fashion blogger Tamara Griffin said “fashion bloggers keeps the fashion industry alive. We’ve forced the industry to appeal to the average person, not just the rich people who can afford the expensive brands and I think fashion blogs will become the leading destination for fashionistas ”

WASHINGTON— Prom Night is one of the most memorable nights for many. But for Neil Ross, this special night turned into the scariest moment of his life.

“When I heard my mom tell me my dad had a heart attack, I didn’t know how to react. Only thing I could think is that he might die,” Ross said. Neil Ross is currently a senior at Palm Beach Central High School in West Palm Beach, FL.  Victor Ross, Neil’s father, is a 65-year-old car technician, and a steel drum performer at night.

 Ross’ prom experience started out as a typical one.  He took pictures by the beach with his girlfriend, friends, and family members, and then rode in a limo to his prom.“ I was so happy to finally be a senior and go to prom,” Ross said.  

Unfortunately, while Ross was on his way to a prom after party, he got a phone call from his mother telling him that his father was being rushed to the hospital.  The glamorous night of his prom festivities turned into a nightmare. “ I didn’t understand how such a fun night could turn into something so scary,” Ross said.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every year about 785, 000 Americans have a first coronary attack. “I was shocked because I never thought this would happen to my dad” Ross said.

Ross was relieved to find out that his father was going to be fine. But, the fact that his father needed surgery on his heart did not sit well with him.

“No one in my family has ever needed major surgery, so I didn’t know what to expect. I asked the doctor so many questions,” Ross said.

A heart attack, also called a myocardial infarction, occurs when a section of the heart muscle dies or gets damaged because of reduced blood supply.  According to his doctor, Ross needed surgery because all of his arteries were clogged.

A heart attack scare can be extremely horrific for family members. “My sister is flying down tomorrow night and my niece started crying when I told her what happened,” Ross said.

This scare came at such a critical time in Ross’ life. Ross recently made a decision that he would be attending a university in California, which was a hard choice because he would be so far away from home.

“After what happened to my dad, it makes going away for college so much harder,” Ross said.

The Ross family knew that Victor Ross’ habits were not healthy and warned him in the past. “We told him to stop smoking, drinking, and eating so much junk food. But, now we’re going to be harder on him,” Ross said.

According to the CDC, heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women.  With great sadness Neil Ross said, “I could of lost my father that night. That night has changed my life forever.”