I first met Sally at a yogurt shop. Inside, she divulged to me some of the most personal and painful periods of her life.

I listened to her recall memories of poverty, a drug infested culture, years of neglect and maltreatment, multiple “father figures,” and repeated physical assaults against her. She told me about the times her mother left home, the drug deals she witnessed, and the times she woke to the sound of an armed man stomping on her roof.

It seems apparent that she had an abusive life, but this was not always so black and white. This was her life. It was her ‘normal.’ It was all that she knew.

To paint a fuller picture, she gave me snapshots from her childhood. I curated these images and have displayed them in conjunction with my own images. Together, the photographs represent Sally’s experiences with abuse filtered through my own perspective and journey as I came to know her.