After a fatal shooting involving teenagers in her Brooklyn neighborhood, the photographer Cassandra Giraldo remembers how the media described them: “‘Thugs,’ ‘hooligans,’ ‘gang members,’” she recalled. “It was insulting for me to read.” Giraldo also knows better; the New York City-based photographer has been documenting urban youth culture since 2011 on Instagram as part of “The After School Project.” From skateboard tricks on car-lined streets to boredom outside the 7/11, Giraldo’s images capture an intimate look at the fleeting romances, friendships, and attitudes of teens as they come of age in the country’s largest school district. “These young people navigate a racially charged urban society,” Giraldo said. “This small window of time in the after school hours is theirs to take ownership of.”
Between School and Home
-
![]()
Read moreTwo teens kill time outside of Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn on September 30, 2014. #
-
-
![]()
Read moreA portrait of Arielle, 14, as she hangs out with her friends after school in Brooklyn on September 29, 2015. #
-
![]()
Read moreFrom left, Kourdye, William, and Cameron, all high school freshman, climb a tree in Fort Greene Park on June 3, 2015. #
-
![]()
Read moreAnna Pimentel, 16, eats a slice of pizza after school on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn on October 27, 2015. #
-
![]()
Read moreKonstantin, 14, left, and Bishopp, 14, right, both freshmen, do their math homework before track practice in Fort Greene Park on September 9, 2015, the first day of school in New York City. #
-
![]()
Read moreFrom left, Tiffany, Hannibal, and Lavendar stand outside of a 7-Eleven after grabbing a slice of pizza on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn after school on September 4, 2014. #
-
-
![]()
Read moreBrooklyn Tech cheerleader Alexis Choi practices her routine during a Brooklyn Tech Engineers game on October 31, 2015. #
-
![]()
Read moreKids show off their backpacks on the first day of school in New York City on September 9, 2015. #
-
![]()
Read moreHigh schoolers Adriana and Tyari flirt after school in front of a McDonald’s near Fulton Mall on September 17, 2014. #
-
![]()
Read moreJustin, 14, plays on his skateboard as he waits for his brothers to bring out an after-school snack from the corner bodega in Brooklyn on May 20, 2015. #
-
![]()
Read moreTwo friends greet each other on the first day of school in Brooklyn on September 9, 2015. #
-
-
![]()
Read moreStudents from the neighborhood skate after school on Fort Greene Pl. #
-
![]()
Read moreRaquelle and Alonzo hang out near the Barclays Center in Brooklyn after school on September 29, 2014. #
-
![]()
Read moreFeyisola “Fey,” 17, helps her prom date Jamal, 16, put on his blue boutonniere before heading off to senior prom in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. #
-
![]()
Read moreFrom left, Lucas Furlow, 18, Osay Uwangua, 18, Isaac August, 18, Nowa Aiyvbomwan, 18, Andre Felix, 18, and Nicholas Johnson, 18, all seniors, walk down the street after school in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. #
-
![]()
Read moreSophia, 17, a senior in high school, dyed her hair red and wore a My Chemical Romance t-shirt to match her two best friends Charles and Izzy on the first day of school in Brooklyn, September 9, 2015. #
-
-
![]()
Read moreFrom left to right, Sasha, 14, Sophia, 14, Taylor, 14, and Sage, 14, who are all students in separate schools, meet up to decide what to do before heading home Friday night, January 8, 2016. #
-
![]()
Read moreJulissia braids her boyfriend Jibrill's hair at Edmond's playground in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. #
-
![]()
Read moreFrom left, Karen, 17, Tarek, 20, Rosie, 17, and Munna, 19, all from Queens, embrace after school on September 29, 2015. #
-
![]()
Read moreTwo friends hug before parting ways after school on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn on September 17, 2014. #
We want to hear what you think. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.