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
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Konstantin, 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. #
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From 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. #
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From 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. #
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Sophia, 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. #
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From 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. #
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