Congratulations, kid! Who knew a media outlet’s Facebook post wanting a photographer for Dreamville would jump-start your career in photojournalism? You didn’t just accept the job; you exceeded expectations. You never saw it as just a job, though. Thank you for constantly putting yourself out there because you knew we weren’t represented well in the press. The way you translate what you see with your eyes and feel in your heart is your biggest flex. Almost every week for nearly two years you sprinkled some of your magic around town and online. For the majority of that time, you did it with a busted camera and a 50 mm lens. The only thing you were missing was confidence and we have a lot more of it now. You’ve been doing this kind of storytelling for several years, but it wasn’t until the George Floyd uprising that you finally realized that this is what you’re supposed to be doing. You were deprived of a lot of things as a child, but all of those things, plus more, are here with us now. You’ve always wanted a home and Durham is it. Our life is what it is because the people of Durham embraced us with so much love and support. What we’re able to do is because of the stability they provided. Thank them and love them back. You’re the real MVP. We’ve already achieved what we set out to do. Now, it’s time to relax before our big adventure. Then, on the train to UNC-Chapel Hill we go.
Follow Staff Photographer Jade Wilson on Instagram to keep up with their work. We’ll miss you!
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