This image reminds me that even amid the poverty of Uptown in the mid-1970s, people struggled to keep their kids on the right path. This young man came from a large family. You can see one of his brothers in the background. Their mother invited me into the apartment to take some pictures of the family. When she told the kids to get dressed in their best clothes, this boy put on his scout uniform. He didn’t quite get his hair combed, the shirt tucked in, or the collar turned down. He’s expressing a universal feeling among boys when their parents force them to dress up for pictures. Notice also the rug on the wall featuring Jesus shepherding his flock and the torn wallpaper above it.
