2026 Photojournalist of the Year – Community

Alexey Kurilo, editor-in-chief of the newspaper Kolymskaya Pravda, looks at the Kolyma River. He is the newspaper’s only remaining employee; his colleague recently passed away.

Alexey Kurilo, editor-in-chief of the newspaper Kolymskaya Pravda, looks at the Kolyma River. He is the newspaper’s only remaining employee; his colleague recently passed away.

Vadim, a guard at Pleistocene Park located 30 kilometers from Chersky, watches over a camel separated from the herd. He works alone, caring for animals...

Vadim, a guard at Pleistocene Park located 30 kilometers from Chersky, watches over a camel separated from the herd. He works alone, caring for animals including bison, musk oxen, reindeer, horses, and camels.

Maria Dunaeva, a teacher at Chersky Secondary School, gathers mushrooms near the Zelyony Mys district. In addition to teaching, she works as a local event...

Maria Dunaeva, a teacher at Chersky Secondary School, gathers mushrooms near the Zelyony Mys district. In addition to teaching, she works as a local event host.

Ilya Sleptsov, Ruslan’s brother, sits in his apartment in Chersky before performing a song. He works as an inspector of small vessels and is one...

Ilya Sleptsov, Ruslan’s brother, sits in his apartment in Chersky before performing a song. He works as an inspector of small vessels and is one of the few local songwriters, performing songs about the Kolyma and its people.

Nina Samotishchuk stands in the yard of her home next to the summer kitchen in Nizhnekolymsk. Bird skins are attached to the wall — Nina...

Nina Samotishchuk stands in the yard of her home next to the summer kitchen in Nizhnekolymsk. Bird skins are attached to the wall — Nina placed them there herself as a way of decorating her house. Nizhnekolymsk is located 29 kilometers southwest of the district center, Chersky. The Samotishchuk family lives a self-reliant life here. They once kept cattle; at their peak, they owned 15 cows — nearly all of the district’s herd. Flooding and soil erosion gradually destroyed the cowshed, forcing them to slaughter the entire herd. It was an extremely difficult decision. The family received no support from the authorities. “People forget people,” Nina says.

Fedor Samotishchuk prepares fish next to a small structure used for drying and smoking. On the upper level, whitefish dries under a net that protects...

Fedor Samotishchuk prepares fish next to a small structure used for drying and smoking. On the upper level, whitefish dries under a net that protects it from birds, while an old jacket is used as a scarecrow. The lower level is used for smoking. Fedor is the son of Nina and Nikolai Samotishchuk. He travels from Chersky to Nizhnekolymsk to bring supplies and help his parents with hunting and fishing. Founded in 1644, Nizhnekolymsk has gradually lost its population over the centuries. Many residents moved to other settlements, such as Chersky and Pokhodsk. Today, Nizhnekolymsk is home to only a few residents.

Nikolai and Nina sit in their greenhouse in Nizhnekolymsk, where they try to grow vegetables and flowers. The short summer does not allow crops to...

Nikolai and Nina sit in their greenhouse in Nizhnekolymsk, where they try to grow vegetables and flowers. The short summer does not allow crops to fully ripen, but they are grateful even for a small yield. They also grow sunflowers — rare in the Arctic — and have planted birch trees, the only ones in the area. Nina finds it painful when Nizhnekolymsk is called a “seasonal settlement”: “That’s not true. We are always here. We will not leave this land.”

Lena, a resident of Nizhnekolymsk, stands inside an underground ice cellar where cold temperatures are maintained even in summer. The Samotishchuk family stores food, meat,...

Lena, a resident of Nizhnekolymsk, stands inside an underground ice cellar where cold temperatures are maintained even in summer. The Samotishchuk family stores food, meat, and fish here. The cellar is located very close to the Kolyma River. As the river changes its course, the bank continues to erode. Soon, water may flood the cellar, which would be a serious blow to the household. Additionally, due to global warming, winters are becoming warmer: ice is thinner, shortening the period when supplies can be delivered across winter roads.

Nina Samotishchuk sits in the kitchen of her home in Nizhnekolymsk. She was born on the Kolyma River in the 1930s, after her family was...

Nina Samotishchuk sits in the kitchen of her home in Nizhnekolymsk. She was born on the Kolyma River in the 1930s, after her family was exiled there. She spent her childhood in unheated buildings, enduring hunger and hardship. At first, the family lived in the tundra in a cold shed. In 1953, after Stalin’s death, they were allowed to move to Nizhnekolymsk. Their first shelter there was a tent, where they lived until November in severe frost. Later, they found a yurt, which provided more warmth. Nina and her brother had to take turns attending school because the family lacked sufficient clothing. Over time, the family was able to acquire a house in Nizhnekolymsk, even as the settlement gradually declined.

Nikolai Samotishchuk sits beside his house. Stuffed specimens of a loon and a duck are attached to the wall. Nikolai is an experienced hunter and...

Nikolai Samotishchuk sits beside his house. Stuffed specimens of a loon and a duck are attached to the wall. Nikolai is an experienced hunter and fisherman, but age is taking its toll, and his sons often come to help him. Besides Nina and Nikolai, only three other people live here: Nina’s brother Alexey, a fisherwoman named Lena, and a quiet, reserved hunter named Gennady — five residents in total.

Nina Samotishchuk stands in the yard of her home beside a barrel used to grow potatoes. The surrounding soil is unsuitable for cultivation, so the...

Nina Samotishchuk stands in the yard of her home beside a barrel used to grow potatoes. The surrounding soil is unsuitable for cultivation, so the Samotishchuks grow potatoes in several barrels around the house.

Gennady, a resident of Nizhnekolymsk, stands near his home. He is a hunter and fisherman. Although he owns an apartment in Zelyony Mys near Chersky,...

Gennady, a resident of Nizhnekolymsk, stands near his home. He is a hunter and fisherman. Although he owns an apartment in Zelyony Mys near Chersky, he returns to Nizhnekolymsk again and again and effectively lives there year-round.

A view from the ruined house where Gennady once grew up. One part of the house is still accessible, while the other has collapsed due...

A view from the ruined house where Gennady once grew up. One part of the house is still accessible, while the other has collapsed due to riverbank erosion.

Nikolai Samotishchuk prepares for a boat trip to Chersky. The riverbank is gradually eroding as the course of the Kolyma River changes. Memorials to fallen...

Nikolai Samotishchuk prepares for a boat trip to Chersky. The riverbank is gradually eroding as the course of the Kolyma River changes. Memorials to fallen Komsomol members and police officers are close to collapsing into the water. The shifting river course is attributed not only to climate change but also to human activity; two hydroelectric power stations currently operate on the Kolyma. As the bank erodes, historic buildings in Nizhnekolymsk are being destroyed and burial sites are breaking apart. Residents are forced to collect human remains and carry them farther from the shore for reburial.

Nina waits in a boat for Nikolai to travel to Chersky to collect their pension and supplies. The journey takes about an hour. Weather conditions...

Nina waits in a boat for Nikolai to travel to Chersky to collect their pension and supplies. The journey takes about an hour. Weather conditions on the Kolyma River often change suddenly, creating potential danger.

Nina and Nikolai Samotishchuk stand against the backdrop of Nizhnekolymsk. Damage caused by riverbank erosion is visible. One day, the water will reach the Samotishchuks’...

Nina and Nikolai Samotishchuk stand against the backdrop of Nizhnekolymsk. Damage caused by riverbank erosion is visible. One day, the water will reach the Samotishchuks’ house.

Ruslan and Nikita sit inside the tractor cabin near Pokhodsk. Later, the tractor was found to be faulty, and Ruslan decided not to risk the...

Ruslan and Nikita sit inside the tractor cabin near Pokhodsk. Later, the tractor was found to be faulty, and Ruslan decided not to risk the journey. The knowledge passed down to him by older generations is now being taught to his son.

Ruslan Sleptsov, a state nature inspector in the Nizhnekolymsky District, waits for his son Nikita beside a snowmobile on the ice of the East Siberian...

Ruslan Sleptsov, a state nature inspector in the Nizhnekolymsky District, waits for his son Nikita beside a snowmobile on the ice of the East Siberian Sea. They are heading to the Sleptsov family’s ancestral house at the Krestovaya site, built by Ruslan’s grandfather Savva. The house is located about 300 kilometers from the settlement of Chersky.

Ruslan attempts to make a call via satellite phone. He recalls a story involving his grandfather Savva, who once freed a polar bear cub caught...

Ruslan attempts to make a call via satellite phone. He recalls a story involving his grandfather Savva, who once freed a polar bear cub caught in a trap by shooting the trap’s spring from 80 meters away, allowing the cub and its mother to escape.

Ruslan and Nikita clear snow from the entrance to their house at the Krestovaya site. Ruslan notes that in recent years snowfall has been unusually...

Ruslan and Nikita clear snow from the entrance to their house at the Krestovaya site. Ruslan notes that in recent years snowfall has been unusually low.

Nikita and Ruslan sit inside their house at Krestovaya. Beyond this place, there is only tundra and sea for 140–200 kilometers. From here, the Sleptsovs...

Nikita and Ruslan sit inside their house at Krestovaya. Beyond this place, there is only tundra and sea for 140–200 kilometers. From here, the Sleptsovs monitor polar bears, count dens, and observe climate change.

The Meteorite aerological station on Chetyrekhstolbovoy Island, part of the Medvezhyi Islands archipelago. Built in the 1970s as part of the Soviet Arctic observation system,...

The Meteorite aerological station on Chetyrekhstolbovoy Island, part of the Medvezhyi Islands archipelago. Built in the 1970s as part of the Soviet Arctic observation system, the station is now abandoned and used temporarily by reserve workers.

Ruslan, Nikita, and workers from the Medvezhyi Islands nature reserve rest inside the Meteorite station. A portrait of Mikhail Gorbachev hangs above them. Time appears...

Ruslan, Nikita, and workers from the Medvezhyi Islands nature reserve rest inside the Meteorite station. A portrait of Mikhail Gorbachev hangs above them. Time appears frozen here.

A drawing of a polar bear’s head inside an abandoned house on Chetyrekhstolbovoy Island in the Medvezhyi Islands archipelago. The exact date of the drawing...

A drawing of a polar bear’s head inside an abandoned house on Chetyrekhstolbovoy Island in the Medvezhyi Islands archipelago. The exact date of the drawing is unknown, likely from the 1980s or 1990s. During the Soviet period, the island hosted a polar station with a cinema and a library. The library building later collapsed into the sea due to coastal erosion.

Ruslan and Nikita fish with a seine net near Pokhodsk. Fewer people remain in the fishing profession. Nikita is the only young person still engaged...

Ruslan and Nikita fish with a seine net near Pokhodsk. Fewer people remain in the fishing profession. Nikita is the only young person still engaged in fishing.

Ruslan watches an approaching blizzard near Pokhodsk. He says that only he and his son remain in the tundra monitoring nature and climate. “We are...

Ruslan watches an approaching blizzard near Pokhodsk. He says that only he and his son remain in the tundra monitoring nature and climate. “We are the last ones left here,” Ruslan says.

The refrigerated truck is being unloaded in Pokhodsk, a small village located 40 kilometers northwest of Chersky. Food and vegetables for the long winter are...

The refrigerated truck is being unloaded in Pokhodsk, a small village located 40 kilometers northwest of Chersky. Food and vegetables for the long winter are delivered to the village. In return, residents load frozen fish onto the truck for sale, caught by nearly the entire village. Large vessels typically do not reach Nizhnekolymsk. Supplies and refrigerated goods are delivered to larger transport hubs such as Chersky or Pokhodsk, and from there reach Nizhnekolymsk by small boats, snowmobiles, or seasonal ice roads.

A resident of Pokhodsk sits outside his house with his dog. Purebred dogs are common in the village, where families breed puppies to sell in...

A resident of Pokhodsk sits outside his house with his dog. Purebred dogs are common in the village, where families breed puppies to sell in order to afford expensive flights to mainland Russia.

Children attend a life safety class taught by Rosa Ivanovna at the school in the village of Pokhodsk. The school is small, with some classes...

Children attend a life safety class taught by Rosa Ivanovna at the school in the village of Pokhodsk. The school is small, with some classes consisting of only one or two students.

A resident of Pokhodsk collects groceries after unloading supplies, accompanied by his children. Coal used to heat the entire village is visible behind them.

A resident of Pokhodsk collects groceries after unloading supplies, accompanied by his children. Coal used to heat the entire village is visible behind them.

Sisters Vika and Roza return to the shore near Pokhodsk after fishing. They fish and hunt on their own. Vika works in a local shop...

Sisters Vika and Roza return to the shore near Pokhodsk after fishing. They fish and hunt on their own. Vika works in a local shop and bakes bread for the village. Roza teaches life safety and physical education at the Pokhodsk secondary school.

Gennady Vostrikov, an elder of Pokhodsk, sits in his home wearing a Cossack uniform. Despite his advanced age, Gennady Ivanovich still has to fish to...

Gennady Vostrikov, an elder of Pokhodsk, sits in his home wearing a Cossack uniform. Despite his advanced age, Gennady Ivanovich still has to fish to support himself. There are almost no young fishermen left in Pokhodsk, except for Nikita Sleptsov.

Children sit in the locker room of Pokhodsk Secondary School before a physical education class. The school has just over 20 students, with only three...

Children sit in the locker room of Pokhodsk Secondary School before a physical education class. The school has just over 20 students, with only three in grades 10 and 11. Older students may soon be required to relocate to Chersky.

A 5 year-old girl is surrounded by her mother and two older sisters at their home in Leominster, MA on September 23, 2025. The girls’...

A 5 year-old girl is surrounded by her mother and two older sisters at their home in Leominster, MA on September 23, 2025. The girls’ mother, Jeannette, said that immigration agents held her youngest daughter, who has autism, in their driveway to lure the girls’ father outside. Video shows armed agents towering over the girl. “You’re more than welcome to come pick her up,” one tells her father, Edwards Hip Mejia, who had run into the house as agents pursued him. The girl was eventually brought to a police station, where she was later picked up by her grandmother. The mother requested only her middle name be published and her daughter’s name not be used to protect their privacy.

Isaura Mendes greets Milton DoSouto at the graves of her sons Bobby and Matthew, who were killed amid gang warfare, at New Calvary Cemetery in...

Isaura Mendes greets Milton DoSouto at the graves of her sons Bobby and Matthew, who were killed amid gang warfare, at New Calvary Cemetery in Boston, MA on August 21, 2024. The 74-year-old Mendes has become a peace advocate for her community alongside DoSouto, who has two brothers — Luis and Alex — buried nearby, both killed by gunfire. Milton's crew, the Cape Verdean Outlaws were blood enemies of some of Isaura's relatives who were connected to the Wendover Street gang. The Outlaws were suspected of killing Isaura's youngest son, Matthew, whose homicide remains unsolved. The murder of her oldest son in 1995 started the Cape Verdean gang war. They talked there for more than an hour, she about loss and faith, he about grief and his part in the violence. “It was crazy back then,” Milton said. “I’m sorry for it all.” Isaura told him she still had the strength to forgive, if only she knew who killed Matthew. But if Milton knew, he didn’t say. Isaura and Milton stood under a blue summer sky in the cemetery, at their feet lay gravestones, row upon row. Her sons, his brothers, her nephews, his cousins, and on and on, countless Cape Verdean boys and men who died too young. “It’s really not for us,” Isaura said. “It’s for the next generation.”

A pedestrian passes wind-whipped clouds of steam that offer a dystopian-like scene at the intersection of Pearl Street and High Street in Boston, MA January...

A pedestrian passes wind-whipped clouds of steam that offer a dystopian-like scene at the intersection of Pearl Street and High Street in Boston, MA January 30, 2025. Overnight lows dropped to 24°F.

Ring bearer Santino Denardo, 5, is coached by family before taking part in his uncle’s wedding at City Hall in Boston on Valentine’s Day, Feb....

Ring bearer Santino Denardo, 5, is coached by family before taking part in his uncle’s wedding at City Hall in Boston on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, 2025. “Valentine’s Day gets very busy, in some years we’ve had people wait in line to get married,” said Boston City Clerk Alex Geourntas, who is also a justice of the peace and performs the ceremonies. “I enjoy doing weddings. ... It’s a very happy occasion and we need happy occasions in our lives, nowadays especially, so I look forward to it.”

Members of Elite Security survey the scene as they arrive for the “No Kings” rally on Boston Common in Boston MA on October 18, 2025....

Members of Elite Security survey the scene as they arrive for the “No Kings” rally on Boston Common in Boston MA on October 18, 2025. The team was charged with keeping speakers and the stage area safe during the event. In the latest and what might be the largest of a string of protests in Boston against President Trump and his allies, the demonstration was one of what’s believed to be more than 2,000 simultaneous protest events across the country.

Battling 95-degree temperatures, Maggie Galvis stretches a hose from her apartment to fill a pool at the Boston Housing Authority’s (BHA) Bunker Hill Development in...

Battling 95-degree temperatures, Maggie Galvis stretches a hose from her apartment to fill a pool at the Boston Housing Authority’s (BHA) Bunker Hill Development in the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston, MA on June 25, 2025. A heat dome raised temperatures and humidity to peak levels throughout the region, before a cold front is expected to deliver a wave of showers and thunderstorms to snap the sweltering weather.

Bill May smokes a cigarette while contemplating his future, at his home in Franklin, NH on November 6, 2025. In late August the home was...

Bill May smokes a cigarette while contemplating his future, at his home in Franklin, NH on November 6, 2025. In late August the home was surrounded by federal agents and May was arrested. He was one of two dozen people the DEA would later boast were “high-ranking cartel members.” An investigation found no such a connection existed; instead the roundup in Franklin included locals, suffering from addiction like May, who were casualties of the fentanyl crisis, rather than the kingpins getting rich off it. “Generally speaking, everyone has their negatives,” May said. “I have several. Being part of a cartel is not one of them.” He attributes his addiction to a series of spinal surgeries throughout the 2000s and 2010s that coincided with the height of the opioid-dispensing era, when the nation was saturated with painkiller scripts. “I had never heard of Oxycontin before these surgeries,” he said. Now, fresh from a seven-day detox program, his current plan involves sobriety. “I’ve got to get out of Franklin,” he declared.

TITLE: In the Shadow of ICE SUMMARY: Wuendy Bernardo, a 33-year-old from Guatemala, has lived and worked for more than a decade on a small...

TITLE: In the Shadow of ICE SUMMARY: Wuendy Bernardo, a 33-year-old from Guatemala, has lived and worked for more than a decade on a small dairy farm in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. She and her partner, who also works on the farm, care for their five children, plus Wuendy’s two orphaned half-sisters. The family members have a range of immigration and citizenship statuses — and she worries they would be split up if she were deported. Wuendy, who was apprehended after illegally crossing the southern border in 2014, has been required ever since to make periodic check-ins with immigration authorities. Since President Trump took office, those appointments have become more frequent, and the stakes have felt much higher.

TITLE: In the Shadow of ICE SUMMARY: Wuendy Bernardo, a 33-year-old from Guatemala, has lived and worked for more than a decade on a small...

TITLE: In the Shadow of ICE SUMMARY: Wuendy Bernardo, a 33-year-old from Guatemala, has lived and worked for more than a decade on a small dairy farm in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. She and her partner, who also works on the farm, care for their five children, plus Wuendy’s two orphaned half-sisters. The family members have a range of immigration and citizenship statuses — and she worries they would be split up if she were deported. Wuendy, who was apprehended after illegally crossing the southern border in 2014, has been required ever since to make periodic check-ins with immigration authorities. Since President Trump took office, those appointments have become more frequent, and the stakes have felt much higher. CAPTION: Wuendy Bernardo, a 33-year-old from Guatemala, watched over the cows during an early morning shift at the dairy farm where she has lived and worked for over a decade in Orleans County, Vt. on July 11, 2025. It is a hard life of long days. Most mornings, Wuendy and her partner start milking the 125 cows at 4:30 a.m., and again at 3 p.m. before letting them out for the night. In between, they do other farm and household chores and spend time with their children.

Dairy farmer John Morin and his partner, Lynn Beede, share lunch with Wuendy Bernardo's family at their home in Orleans County, VT, on July 10,...

Dairy farmer John Morin and his partner, Lynn Beede, share lunch with Wuendy Bernardo's family at their home in Orleans County, VT, on July 10, 2025. Morin hired Wuendy and her partner out of necessity. He couldn’t find Americans willing to milk his cows, raise his calves, and shovel out the barn — physically demanding work with long hours and modest wages. Over time, the relationship between the self-described conservative farmer and his migrant workers has deepened. “I consider them more than just employees,” he said. “They’re part of the family.” The feeling is mutual. “They are like our grandparents,” Wuendy’s 17-year-old daughter said. “They care about us.”

Wuendy's children play outside the barn on the dairy farm in Orleans County, VT, on July 10, 2025. Wuendy, who is required to make periodic...

Wuendy's children play outside the barn on the dairy farm in Orleans County, VT, on July 10, 2025. Wuendy, who is required to make periodic check-ins with immigration authorities, worries that her blended family could be pulled apart. “Each time I go back, it’s with the same fear,” Wuendy said through an interpreter. “When I walk into that building, it’s with the thought that I might not be able to go home, and I might not be able to see my children.”

Wuendy's daughters play in their bedroom before breakfast at their home in Orleans County, VT on July 11, 2025. The family of nine shares close...

Wuendy's daughters play in their bedroom before breakfast at their home in Orleans County, VT on July 11, 2025. The family of nine shares close quarters: a cramped kitchen and common area, one bedroom for the parents, and two more packed with bunkbeds. The children attend local schools, which they say they prefer to long, slow summers on the farm, when they must concoct their own entertainment.

Wuendy milks a cow during an early morning shift at the farm in Orleans County, VT, on July 11, 2025. Morin’s farm is smaller than...

Wuendy milks a cow during an early morning shift at the farm in Orleans County, VT, on July 11, 2025. Morin’s farm is smaller than most and lacks a modern “milking parlor” that would allow the cows to come to centralized machines. Instead, Wuendy and her partner walk up and down three rows of cows in the barn, disinfecting their udders and attaching mobile milkers one by one. “There aren’t a lot of people growing up into farming anymore,” Morin said. “It’s very hard to find American help that will actually milk the cows, work in the barns.”

Wuendy’s 18-year-old half-sister helped John Morin collect a new calf and its mother on his dairy farm in Orleans County, VT on July 11, 2025....

Wuendy’s 18-year-old half-sister helped John Morin collect a new calf and its mother on his dairy farm in Orleans County, VT on July 11, 2025. “I’m surviving, but I’m not gonna lie: It’s hard financially,” said Morin. Of Vermont’s 14 counties, Orleans was one of two Trump won in 2024. But Morin says there’s a growing, if quiet, discontent among local farmers. “I think a lot of people are not happy at all,” he said. “We have to worry about weather. We have to worry about the price of milk fluctuating. And now we gotta worry about losing our help. We’re just trying to make a living and feed the country.”

Wuendy and her 15-year-old half-sister made dinner at their home in Orleans County, VT on July 10, 2025. Throughout the state, an estimated 750 to...

Wuendy and her 15-year-old half-sister made dinner at their home in Orleans County, VT on July 10, 2025. Throughout the state, an estimated 750 to 850 migrant farm workers, mostly from Mexico and Guatemala, constitute an “essential” part of Vermont’s dairy industry, according to Secretary of Agriculture Anson Tebbetts.

Wuendy’s children play while their parents milk cows on the dairy farm where they live in Orleans County, VT on July 11, 2025. “Kids give...

Wuendy’s children play while their parents milk cows on the dairy farm where they live in Orleans County, VT on July 11, 2025. “Kids give life purpose. They give life meaning,” Morin’s partner, Lynn Beede said. “I think that’s what Wuendy and her family do in our lives.” Without them, “It would be a very lonely existence for us, with very little purpose.”

Wuendy sits with her cup of coffee after having breakfast with her family at their home in Orleans County, VT, on July 11, 2025. Her...

Wuendy sits with her cup of coffee after having breakfast with her family at their home in Orleans County, VT, on July 11, 2025. Her day started at 4:30 a.m. with the first of two shifts milking cows. Morin is more than frustrated with Wuendy’s immigration situation. “I consider myself conservative, but I don’t consider this administration conservative,” he said, emphasizing the importance of family values. “You don’t treat people like they’re doing.” “This is not American,” Morin said. “I wear the American flag. I support the Constitution. I support our troops that have fought for this country, that make this country free. What’s going on in this country — it’s not humane.”

Wuendy and her partner take a walk on the farm with two of their children after a second round of milking cows in Orleans County,...

Wuendy and her partner take a walk on the farm with two of their children after a second round of milking cows in Orleans County, VT, on July 11, 2025. Bernardo’s partner said he wished more Americans understood that all he and his family are looking for is a better life. “We do the dirty work they don’t want to do. We are not criminals. We are supporting our kids. We are part of the economy of the United States,” he said. “That’s all we do: work and feed our family.” He said he felt nervous about Bernardo’s next check-in. “I always try to stay positive and think everything will be all right,” he said. “But with this administration, you never know.”

TITLE: The Last Middle School SUMMARY: The Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School, Boston Public Schools’ last middle school, closed its doors in June having...

TITLE: The Last Middle School SUMMARY: The Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School, Boston Public Schools’ last middle school, closed its doors in June having served it’s final students. Standalone campuses for grades 6-8 are becoming rarer across the country.⁠ Without middle schools, the district will face the challenge of educating students in new ways. Young adolescents have intense need for belonging but also demand independence which calls for more structure than traditional high schools but less than elementary schools. There’s nothing essential about the separate buildings, but middle grade students need supports they often miss in schools dominated by younger or older students. 

TITLE: The Last Middle School SUMMARY: The Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School, Boston Public Schools’ last middle school, closed its doors in June having...

TITLE: The Last Middle School SUMMARY: The Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School, Boston Public Schools’ last middle school, closed its doors in June having served it’s final students. Standalone campuses for grades 6-8 are becoming rarer across the country.⁠ Without middle schools, the district will face the challenge of educating students in new ways. Young adolescents have intense need for belonging but also demand independence which calls for more structure than traditional high schools but less than elementary schools. There’s nothing essential about the separate buildings, but middle grade students need supports they often miss in schools dominated by younger or older students.  CAPTION: Eighth-graders Alexis Pierre and Cyrus Dorzelma arrived for the Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School promotion ceremony as they move on to high school in Boston, MA on June 18, 2025. The pair joined their classmates and families for the city’s last middle school promotion ceremony — graduating the final Frederick eighth grade class.

Members of the 4 Star Dance Studio entertained the crowd during “Groovin’ in the Grove” outside the Frederick Pilot Middle School in Boston, MA on...

Members of the 4 Star Dance Studio entertained the crowd during “Groovin’ in the Grove” outside the Frederick Pilot Middle School in Boston, MA on May 30, 2025. The school’s commitment to the community manifested itself in various ways throughout the years, including the annual Spring celebration.  When the Frederick opened in 2003, it was a hard-fought victory and rare investment for Grove Hall. The neighborhood’s high school, had recently temporarily lost its accreditation, and the area had seen decades of underinvestment. Even the site of the school, a vacant lot on Columbia Road, was so infamous for drugs and crime that Mayor Thomas Menino called the National Guard to help clean it in 1996.

Seventh grader Erntz Francois sits for his school picture at Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School on December 11, 2024. Sixty years ago, education scholars...

Seventh grader Erntz Francois sits for his school picture at Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School on December 11, 2024. Sixty years ago, education scholars believed middle schools could tailor education to that age group. More recently, researchers found the damage wrought by transitions from school to school is not worth the advantages specialization provides.: Achievement declines as students have to adapt to a new school.

Seventh-graders Jaziah Sylvert, Donnay Burton, and Arianna Lang take in the lesson inside a inflatable mobile planetarium in the school gymnasium on Dec. 11, 2024. ...

Seventh-graders Jaziah Sylvert, Donnay Burton, and Arianna Lang take in the lesson inside a inflatable mobile planetarium in the school gymnasium on Dec. 11, 2024.  The district marked the Frederick for closure at the end of the school year as part of its broader effort to address declines in enrollment in the 48,000-student district and shift students to schools that house grades 7-12.

Seventh-grader Isaiyah Marquez passes the welcoming faculty and staff as he arrived for the first day of school at Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School...

Seventh-grader Isaiyah Marquez passes the welcoming faculty and staff as he arrived for the first day of school at Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School on Sept. 5, 2024. Over its two-plus decades, the school has changed with the neighborhood. With a mostly Black American student body in its early days, it ultimately educated mainly immigrant children: Haitian, Cape Verdean, Latin American. In its final year, the school‘s students were 56 percent Latino and 38 percent Black. More than nine in 10 were low income, two-thirds were non-native English speakers, and more than one-quarter had disabilities.

Seventh-grader Erntz François reads "Monster," a novel by Walter Dean Myers, during English Language Arts class at Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School on May...

Seventh-grader Erntz François reads "Monster," a novel by Walter Dean Myers, during English Language Arts class at Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School on May 20, 2025. Erntz was the third member of the family to attend the school but will complete eighth grade at East Boston High School next year.

English Language Arts teacher Kaylah Mack congratulates her seventh grade class after they finished reading “Monster,” a novel by Walter Dean Myers, at Lilla G....

English Language Arts teacher Kaylah Mack congratulates her seventh grade class after they finished reading “Monster,” a novel by Walter Dean Myers, at Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School in Boston, MA on May 20, 2025. The school was never as successful academically as leaders hoped, with standardized test results consistently trailing both the state and district across most subgroups. Enrollment gradually declined from nearly 700 in the early days to less than half that last year.

Eighth grader Isa Gomez shows off a mask she completed during an afterschool arts program at the Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School on May...

Eighth grader Isa Gomez shows off a mask she completed during an afterschool arts program at the Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School on May 21, 2025. The class was preparing for a fashion show to be held during “Groovin’ at the Grove” an upcoming community celebration. Instructor Ivy Davis said her "Craftpreneurs" program was created to inspire students to explore a career in art.

Seventh grader Anyel Pimentel plays with an inflatable ball while waiting for dismissal at the Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School in Boston, MA on...

Seventh grader Anyel Pimentel plays with an inflatable ball while waiting for dismissal at the Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School in Boston, MA on June 20, 2025. It’s an early release day and with only one day of school left, the year was all but over.

Eighth-grader Bendu Sanoe joined her classmates before the Frederick's promotion ceremony in Boston on June 18, 2025. In the new, middle school-less era, the district...

Eighth-grader Bendu Sanoe joined her classmates before the Frederick's promotion ceremony in Boston on June 18, 2025. In the new, middle school-less era, the district will have to take on the challenge of educating students in new ways. It’s a challenge that has bedeviled educators for a century, said Penny Bishop, dean of Boston University’s school of education and an expert on the middle grades. Young adolescents have intense need for belonging but also demand independence, she said, which calls for more structure than traditional high schools but less than elementary schools.

Social studies teacher Taylor Roberts says goodbye to seventh-grader Nicole Barros Cardoso on the final day at Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle school in Boston...

Social studies teacher Taylor Roberts says goodbye to seventh-grader Nicole Barros Cardoso on the final day at Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle school in Boston on June 23, 2025. There’s nothing essential about the separate buildings, but middle grade students need supports they often miss in schools dominated by younger or older students said Penny Bishop, dean of Boston University’s school of education.

TITLE: The Promise Unkept: How Congress Failed Dante Fowler SUMMARY: More than a year has passed since Dante Fowler has been allowed to go to...

TITLE: The Promise Unkept: How Congress Failed Dante Fowler SUMMARY: More than a year has passed since Dante Fowler has been allowed to go to school with other kids. His local school said it could not educate him, because of his severe autism. Left to wait for a school to come along that would, Dante was all but educationally abandoned. Fifty years ago, the United States made a pledge: No child, no matter how complex their disability, would be deprived an education. That pledge never came true. Not once in all these decades has Congress lived up to its end of the bargain, a promise to cover 40 percent of the extra cost needed to educate children with disabilities. Today, the US government contributes a mere 10 percent of the cost.⁠

TITLE: The Promise Unkept: How Congress Failed Dante Fowler SUMMARY: More than a year has passed since Dante Fowler has been allowed to go to...

TITLE: The Promise Unkept: How Congress Failed Dante Fowler SUMMARY: More than a year has passed since Dante Fowler has been allowed to go to school with other kids. His local school said it could not educate him, because of his severe autism. Left to wait for a school to come along that would, Dante was all but educationally abandoned. Fifty years ago, the United States made a pledge: No child, no matter how complex their disability, would be deprived an education. That pledge never came true. Not once in all these decades has Congress lived up to its end of the bargain, a promise to cover 40 percent of the extra cost needed to educate children with disabilities. Today, the US government contributes a mere 10 percent of the cost.⁠ CAPTION: Jen Fowler comforts her son Dante, 12, who has autism, during an episode at their home in Wakefield, MA on February 13, 2025. Jen refers to 2 p.m. as the “bewitching hour” when Dante’s outbursts begin. Every day in the United States, disabled children like Dante are being cheated out of an education, relegated to their homes for months on end because no schools will serve them. Their public school districts have given up on teaching them, pledging instead to pay for them to attend schools elsewhere that offer more intensive support. But other options, which often include highly sought after private schools, can be near impossible to come by, leaving kids in the lurch for extensive periods of time.

Dante Fowler, 12, peers over the gate while his mother, Jen, served dinner to his brothers, at their home in Wakefield on February 6, 2025....

Dante Fowler, 12, peers over the gate while his mother, Jen, served dinner to his brothers, at their home in Wakefield on February 6, 2025. To ensure his safety, Dante is confined to the living room and his bedroom. Jen said she feels guilty she never gets to sit and eat dinner with her other children. Without school-based field trips and friendships, Dante had little to look forward to. Hemmed in his family’s living room by baby gates, Dante took his frustration out on his limited surroundings, tearing down photographs and decorations.

Jen and her partner, Phil Corriveau, give Dante a haircut at their home in Wakefield on March 1, 2025. "It took a while to desensitize...

Jen and her partner, Phil Corriveau, give Dante a haircut at their home in Wakefield on March 1, 2025. "It took a while to desensitize him. Eventually, he didn’t cry. Now I think he likes it. He wants to wear the cape,“ Jen said. Needing to take care of her son 24/7, Fowler had to give up her job working with disabled adults. The financial strain on her family has been punishing; if it weren’t for her partner’s salary as an electrician, Jen said, she doesn’t know how she’d be able to support Dante and his two brothers.

Registered behavioral technician Mackenzie Ansin steadies Dante as he jumped on a trampoline at his home on January 15, 2025. The pair were taking a...

Registered behavioral technician Mackenzie Ansin steadies Dante as he jumped on a trampoline at his home on January 15, 2025. The pair were taking a break from learning exercises while Jen talks with Austin Silva, of the Amego School for autism, who was observing Dante virtually. The Fowlers' living room serves both as a classroom and gymnasium. Part of what’s driving the crisis is a supply-and-demand problem that has devastating and far-reaching effects, not just on disabled students and their families, but on entire school communities. The population of students with complex disabilities, including autism, has grown in recent years, but there are nowhere near enough trained special educators to meet the children’s needs, experts said. What’s worse, experts and advocates argue, is the lack of urgency to fix the problem. In a world replete with disasters, disabled children like Dante are often forgotten.

Jen sits with Dante at their home in Wakefield, MA on March 1, 2025. Jen worries about Dante’s isolation. She said, “He’s bored, he’s depressed,...

Jen sits with Dante at their home in Wakefield, MA on March 1, 2025. Jen worries about Dante’s isolation. She said, “He’s bored, he’s depressed, he’s definitely regressing. He doesn’t know how to interact with his peers. Now he has anxiety. He used to be in a classroom, on a bus. How do you go from that to this?” Fowler has repeatedly sought help from Wakefield Public Schools to no avail. Legal documentation shows Wakefield did not provide him any educational services as he awaited a school placement, such as tutoring in his home by a special education teacher. Fowler, who spent her own money on educational materials, said she has done her best to teach Dante. Yet she knows her limitations. She does not have the training her son needs.

Dante rides on a swing while visiting Sturges Park with Phil Corriveau in Reading, MA on March 15, 2025. Phil says Dante loves the swing...

Dante rides on a swing while visiting Sturges Park with Phil Corriveau in Reading, MA on March 15, 2025. Phil says Dante loves the swing and could stay here all day. Phil met Dante when the boy was 5, and said, "When I first met Dante, I was in awe of him, I was amazed. I thought, 'What is he thinking?'" There is no consistent way to count these children in such educational limbo; in many cases, they are still enrolled as full-time district students as they await new placements. But they are out there, in cities and small towns, in red and blue states, some shut out of school for months, others for years.

Jen Fowler restrains Dante during an episode at their home in Wakefield on February 13, 2025, now over a year without schooling. Dante is one...

Jen Fowler restrains Dante during an episode at their home in Wakefield on February 13, 2025, now over a year without schooling. Dante is one of nearly 1 million students nationwide eligible for special education due to their autism. He requires extra support to be successful at school. Like many children with more severe autism, he cannot express himself verbally. That often leaves the sixth grader — who can understand what those around him are saying — visibly frustrated. At its most extreme, that frustration can manifest in aggression and self-injurious behaviors. Other times, he may smear his own feces on his surroundings. (Many autistic children experience gastrointestinal issues.) It was for those reasons Wakefield Public Schools, said in September 2023 it could no longer educate him.

Jen heads back to the house as her son, Dante departed on a school bus outside their home in Wakefield on April 7, 2025. The...

Jen heads back to the house as her son, Dante departed on a school bus outside their home in Wakefield on April 7, 2025. The bus would transport Dante to his first day at the Amego School in Franklin, MA. Finally, after 17 months at home, Jen had received good news: The Amego School, which specializes in serving children with autism and other developmental disabilities, had an opening. The school saved the spot for Dante. It wouldn’t be easy. The commute to the Franklin-based school would take an hour and a half each way. Still, Fowler felt she could finally breathe.

Dante run back to class with speech pathologist Marley Dutcher after a break on the playground at the Amego School in Franklin in April 25,...

Dante run back to class with speech pathologist Marley Dutcher after a break on the playground at the Amego School in Franklin in April 25, 2025. After completing a series of lessons Dante is rewarded with a recreational period. Advocates for full funding of special education said an increased federal investment is critical to getting more classrooms fully staffed. A spokesperson for the US Department of Education did not answer questions about President Trump’s position on the full funding of special education, but noted in a statement that his budget does not make any cuts to special education funding and said the administration “recognizes that the one-size-fits-all education system simply isn’t working — especially for American families and students with disabilities."

Case coordinator Kelsey Sundin, left, and therapist Mackenzie Burke work to calm Dante during a behavioral outburst at the Amego School in Franklin, MA on...

Case coordinator Kelsey Sundin, left, and therapist Mackenzie Burke work to calm Dante during a behavioral outburst at the Amego School in Franklin, MA on April 25, 2025. The Fowler’s experience highlights one of the biggest consequences of federal underfunding: staff shortages. The problem isn’t that college graduates don’t want to become special educators — it’s that they don’t stay. Special education teachers and therapists typically aren’t paid enough for the training they’re expected to have or for the demands put on them. In addition to the instructional responsibilities of a general education teacher, special educators face the added pressure of legal compliance, spending extra hours on mandated paperwork and meetings. Burned out, they leave for less punishing jobs with equal or greater pay — a trend accelerated by the pandemic.

Phil Corriveau welcomes Dante home from school with a big hug and a spin at their home in Wakefield on April 29, 2025.  Jen recalled...

Phil Corriveau welcomes Dante home from school with a big hug and a spin at their home in Wakefield on April 29, 2025.  Jen recalled when Dante arrived back home at the end of his first day, he was all smiles and cuddles and kisses — a Dante his family hadn’t seen in months. Proud of himself, Dante used his tablet to summarize his day: “Good job school,” he said.

Dante watches his mother prepare a peanut butter and jelly sandwich when he returns home from school in April 29, 2025. Jen said Dante is...

Dante watches his mother prepare a peanut butter and jelly sandwich when he returns home from school in April 29, 2025. Jen said Dante is now obsessed with having a peanut butter and jelly sandwich every day when he gets home from school. After all they’d been through, though, Jen couldn’t help but feel anxious still. She knew from experience that one good day could be followed by dozens of bad ones. What if Dante, after all his time in isolation, proved too difficult to educate? Other families, she knew, would be waiting to take his spot. Other children, she knew, just as deserving as Dante.

Konstantin Kokora, former priest of Russian Orthodox Church, sits in a park, Otradnoye village, Moscow region, before dawn. He was suspended from his priest's duties...

Konstantin Kokora, former priest of Russian Orthodox Church, sits in a park, Otradnoye village, Moscow region, before dawn. He was suspended from his priest's duties and deprived of the right to wear a priest cross. This is his punishment for praying for peace, not for Russia's victory. Previously he was a popular priest, appeared in media, and headed church schools. He is in search for work to feed family. 14 August, 2025. Shooting time: 4:50, dawn time 4.59

Alexey Vtulov, former priest of Russian Orthodox Church, stands in the suburbs of Podolsk (Moscow region) before dawn. He was dismissed and stripped of his...

Alexey Vtulov, former priest of Russian Orthodox Church, stands in the suburbs of Podolsk (Moscow region) before dawn. He was dismissed and stripped of his right to wear a priest's cross for signing an anti-war letter calling stop the war. He has five children. After being defrocked, he began working as a taxi driver and delivery driver to support his family. 13 August, 2025. Shooting time 4.45, dawn time 4.59

Ioann Burdin, retired priest, on a field in Nikolskoe village (Kostroma region) before dawn. He was forced to write a petition to be removed from...

Ioann Burdin, retired priest, on a field in Nikolskoe village (Kostroma region) before dawn. He was forced to write a petition to be removed from the church staff due to persecution. Immediately after the war began, he delivered an anti-war sermon at the church where he served. There, he condemned the military's actions. A parishioner immediately filed a denunciation against him, after which the police opened a case against Ioann. 3 June, 2025. Shooting time 3.08, dawn time 3.23

Arkady Fomin, former priest, on the bank of the Vychegda River (Syktivkar), before dawn. Arkady Fomin was a popular priest in his city, heading the...

Arkady Fomin, former priest, on the bank of the Vychegda River (Syktivkar), before dawn. Arkady Fomin was a popular priest in his city, heading the church's youth department. After the war began, he initiated a public debate in his city to discuss the ethics of war. Afterward, a denunciation was filed against him, and he was suspended from his ministry and forbidden to wear the priest's cross. 30 November, 2025. Shooting time: 7:46, dawn at 8.24

Arkady Fomin, a former priest, stands at the place of the execution of 13 priests and believers near Syktyvkar. At various periods, the Russian Orthodox...

Arkady Fomin, a former priest, stands at the place of the execution of 13 priests and believers near Syktyvkar. At various periods, the Russian Orthodox Church collaborated with the authorities in one way or another, and those priests who disagreed were persecuted. In the 1930s and 1940s, many priests were executed. On September 15, 1937, on the outskirts of Syktyvkar, 13 priests and believers were shot on suspicion of anti-Soviet activities. 30 November, 2025

Arkady Fomin, a former priest, sits in his room in Syktyvkar. All priests who have been banned from serving face a profound existential crisis. They...

Arkady Fomin, a former priest, sits in his room in Syktyvkar. All priests who have been banned from serving face a profound existential crisis. They are searching for their identity, both professionally and psychologically. Arkady Fomin has formed an underground band. He says music helps him cope with the emptiness. He worked as a stoker at a factory and as a florist for city services. He is now an actor in a children's theater. 30 November, 2025

Crowns—applied metal decorations on icons that surround the heads of saints and Christ, symbolizing their holiness—are part of a larger decoration—an oklad in the Orthodox...

Crowns—applied metal decorations on icons that surround the heads of saints and Christ, symbolizing their holiness—are part of a larger decoration—an oklad in the Orthodox tradition—on a tree at the site of a former cemetery. Samara, Russia, December 28, 2025

Vadim Perminov sits in the courtyard of the abandoned temple, where he started his way in faith, Kuybishev, Novosibirsk region. He wrote a letter to...

Vadim Perminov sits in the courtyard of the abandoned temple, where he started his way in faith, Kuybishev, Novosibirsk region. He wrote a letter to the patriarch, declaring that he does not read the prayer for Russia's victory. In fact, he denounced himself to show solidarity with other priests who suffered for their anti-war position. He now works as a taxi driver to support his five children. 8 November, 2025. Shooting time 8.52, dawn time 9.06

Toad eggs in a puddle in the Sestroretskoye Swamp Nature Reserve. In the spring, hundreds of thousands of toads migrate to mate and spawn, but...

Toad eggs in a puddle in the Sestroretskoye Swamp Nature Reserve. In the spring, hundreds of thousands of toads migrate to mate and spawn, but a road leading to cottages has been built in their path. Therefore, without the help of volunteers, hundreds of toads are killed by cars before they can produce offspring. Sestroretskoye Swamp Nature Reserve, Saint - Petersburg, Russia, 2 May, 2025

Volunteer Nikolai Semenenko is relaxing in the Sestroretskoye Boloto Nature Reserve. He specially generated a picture of a toad and printed it on his clothes...

Volunteer Nikolai Semenenko is relaxing in the Sestroretskoye Boloto Nature Reserve. He specially generated a picture of a toad and printed it on his clothes before going to help the toads cross the road. Volunteers' presence in the reserve is strictly regulated: they enter the territory in groups, where they are allowed to remain for no more than two hours. Volunteers at the reserve are not only required to relocate amphibians; they also fill out questionnaires indicating the number of animals rescued, the air temperature, and the time of day.Sestroretskoye Swamp Nature Reserve, Saint - Petersburg, Russia, 2 May, 2025

The common toad is one of two amphibian species that migrate across roads in search of optimal spawning conditions. According to estimates by the reserve's...

The common toad is one of two amphibian species that migrate across roads in search of optimal spawning conditions. According to estimates by the reserve's researchers, during spawning season in warm weather, approximately a thousand toads per kilometer of road die in just a couple of days.Sestroretskoye Swamp Nature Reserve, Saint - Petersburg, Russia, 2 May, 2025

Volunteer Yulia Serba has been coming to the Sestroretskoye Swamp nature reserve for the second year in a row to help toads cross a road....

Volunteer Yulia Serba has been coming to the Sestroretskoye Swamp nature reserve for the second year in a row to help toads cross a road. This environmental initiative is generating a huge buzz. In just seven hours, the reserve's administration received 7,000 applications from volunteers. Many, like Yulia, are wearing toad-themed clothing. Sestroretskoye Swamp Nature Reserve, Saint - Petersburg, Russia, 2 May, 2025

A common toad carried across the road. Toads should only be carried with gloves, otherwise they will get burned. Sestroretskoye Swamp Nature Reserve, Saint -...

A common toad carried across the road. Toads should only be carried with gloves, otherwise they will get burned. Sestroretskoye Swamp Nature Reserve, Saint - Petersburg, Russia, 2 May, 2025

Volunteers search for toads along the road to rescue them. However, in cold weather, toad activity is practically nonexistent, but in warm weather, volunteers transfer...

Volunteers search for toads along the road to rescue them. However, in cold weather, toad activity is practically nonexistent, but in warm weather, volunteers transfer about 2,000 toads per day. They are required to record the number of toads rescued and pass them on to the reserve's research staff. Sestroretskoye Swamp Nature Reserve, Saint - Petersburg, Russia, 2 May, 2025

Toad eggs in a puddle in the Sestroretskoye Swamp Nature Reserve. In the spring, hundreds of thousands of toads migrate to mate and spawn, but...

Toad eggs in a puddle in the Sestroretskoye Swamp Nature Reserve. In the spring, hundreds of thousands of toads migrate to mate and spawn, but a road leading to cottages has been built in their path. Therefore, without the help of volunteers, hundreds of toads are killed by cars before they can produce offspring. Sestroretskoye Swamp Nature Reserve, Saint - Petersburg, Russia, 2 May, 2025

Gloves left by one of the volunteers at the dam. Handling amphibians with bare hands is prohibited, as the temperature difference can burn the frog....

Gloves left by one of the volunteers at the dam. Handling amphibians with bare hands is prohibited, as the temperature difference can burn the frog. Sestroretskoye Swamp Nature Reserve, Saint - Petersburg, Russia, 2 May, 2025

Valentin and Anya play with their guide dog, Snezhok. The blind couple adopted the Labrador from a canine training center for guide dogs. Snezhok is...

Valentin and Anya play with their guide dog, Snezhok. The blind couple adopted the Labrador from a canine training center for guide dogs. Snezhok is a young dog who loves to play and have fun. Samara, Russian Federation. 10 May, 2025

Valentin and Anya cross the street on their way home from school. To study music, they moved to Samara, one of three cities in Russia...

Valentin and Anya cross the street on their way home from school. To study music, they moved to Samara, one of three cities in Russia where visually impaired people can study music. Without Snezhok, navigating the new city was more dangerous for them. Samara, Russian Federation. 10 May, 2025

Valentin, Anya, and Snezhok are attending a fundraising seminar at the Samara Institute of Culture, where they are pursuing a music degree. Snezhok usually sleeps...

Valentin, Anya, and Snezhok are attending a fundraising seminar at the Samara Institute of Culture, where they are pursuing a music degree. Snezhok usually sleeps during studies. Samara, Russian Federation. 2 April, 2025

Valentin in a piano lesson. Upon graduation, he will qualify as a conductor. Music education for the blind is extremely challenging, as Braille textbooks don't...

Valentin in a piano lesson. Upon graduation, he will qualify as a conductor. Music education for the blind is extremely challenging, as Braille textbooks don't include all the pieces in the program. Samara, Russian Federation. 2 April, 2025

Snezhok, Anya, and Valentin are walking home after school. This is the pair they always walk in: Anya holding Snezhok, Valentin holding Anya's shoulder. Samara,...

Snezhok, Anya, and Valentin are walking home after school. This is the pair they always walk in: Anya holding Snezhok, Valentin holding Anya's shoulder. Samara, Russian Federation. 2 April, 2025

When Snowball's harness is removed, he understands that the work is over and he can run around and eat dandelions. Samara, Russian Federation. 13 May,...

When Snowball's harness is removed, he understands that the work is over and he can run around and eat dandelions. Samara, Russian Federation. 13 May, 2025

MILFORD, MA — JUNE 11 - Christina Toledo, 38, (L) comforted her son, Jhon, 4, after he refused to blow out the candles on his...

MILFORD, MA — JUNE 11 - Christina Toledo, 38, (L) comforted her son, Jhon, 4, after he refused to blow out the candles on his birthday cake with his twin brother in Milford, MA on June 11, 2025. “I don’t want birthday. I want birthday Daddy.” Jhon said of his father who was taken away by ICE weeks prior and was now in detention awaiting a bond hearing.

MILFORD, MA — JUNE 1 - Julianys Rentas Figueroa (R), the girlfriend of 18 year-old Marcelo Gomes da Silva who was detained by ICE on...

MILFORD, MA — JUNE 1 - Julianys Rentas Figueroa (R), the girlfriend of 18 year-old Marcelo Gomes da Silva who was detained by ICE on his way to volleyball practice embraces Marcelo’s younger sister, Mariana during a protest held for Marcelo outside of City Hall in Milford, MA on June 1, 2025.

LEXINGTON, MA — 4/15/2025 - Lexington History Museums program manager Sarah McDonough closes the shutters in the guest room once shared by John Hancock and...

LEXINGTON, MA — 4/15/2025 - Lexington History Museums program manager Sarah McDonough closes the shutters in the guest room once shared by John Hancock and Sam Adams inside the Hancock-Clarke House, where Paul Revere warned John Hancock and Samuel Adams that the British were on the move.

SOUTH BOSTON, MA — 1/01/2025 - Matthew McConnell (R) embraced his bride Christina Nardone after the two tied the knot right before taking the plunge...

SOUTH BOSTON, MA — 1/01/2025 - Matthew McConnell (R) embraced his bride Christina Nardone after the two tied the knot right before taking the plunge into Dorchester Bay during the L Street Brownies Annual New Years Day polar plunge.

EAST BOSTON, MA — SEPTEMBER 30 - Girls run to collect soccer balls from the goal so that they can scrimmage together with other players...

EAST BOSTON, MA — SEPTEMBER 30 - Girls run to collect soccer balls from the goal so that they can scrimmage together with other players from soccer without borders in East Boston, Massachusetts September 30, 2025. As immigrant parents worry about ICE raids and family separation, a program in East Boston is providing free afterschool activities for the their children. The program, soccer without borders, uses soccer as a vehicle to provide newcomer and immigrant youth with enrichment activities that foster a sense of belonging and community.

CAMBRIDGE, MA — OCTOBER 19 - Peter McGowan, 82 (C) drapes his shoes around his neck as he walks down the boat ramp at the...

CAMBRIDGE, MA — OCTOBER 19 - Peter McGowan, 82 (C) drapes his shoes around his neck as he walks down the boat ramp at the MIT boathouse towards the racing shell that he and his fellow rowers and coxswain who are all in their eighties will use to compete as the Octogenarian Eight in the Head of the Charles in Cambridge, Massachusetts October 19, 2025. Four years ago Catherine Saarela, a coach at Community Rowing, which hosts programs for people of all ages and abilities saw the birth dates of some of the rowers on her roster and wondered if she could put together a group of octogenarians to compete in the Head of the Charles. The team, now in its fourth year, has grown beyond Saarela’s expectations, with more than 12 rowers attending practices.

AUGUSTA , ME — 2/11/2025 - (L-R) Honorary Pages Sadie Archer, Grace Hawkers, and Rose Charland got a chance to work on the floor of...

AUGUSTA , ME — 2/11/2025 - (L-R) Honorary Pages Sadie Archer, Grace Hawkers, and Rose Charland got a chance to work on the floor of the House of Representatives inside the Maine State House. According to the Maine House of Representatives website, “Honorary Pages have the opportunity to see what it’s like to work on the floor of the House and be part of a Legislative Session. Pages perform such duties as delivering messages to Legislators and distributing Amendments and Supplements in the Chamber.”

WILLISTON, VT — APRIL 18 - Nahomy Chavarria, 18, (L) and her sister Andrea adjusted their graduation caps as they stood in the room that...

WILLISTON, VT — APRIL 18 - Nahomy Chavarria, 18, (L) and her sister Andrea adjusted their graduation caps as they stood in the room that they’d shared in their uncle’s house and prepared for an early graduation that would be held for just the two of them before they self-deported back to Nicaragua. Teachers and administrators at Champlain Valley Union High School had scrambled to put together a graduation for the sisters who had chosen to self-deport after the Trump administration had terminated the parole program that they had come to the United States under revoking their legal status.

MILFORD, MA — JUNE 3 - Milford’s Diego Inacio-Santos (C) is comforted by Marcelo Gomes da Silva's seven year-old brother Miguel after the team lost...

MILFORD, MA — JUNE 3 - Milford’s Diego Inacio-Santos (C) is comforted by Marcelo Gomes da Silva's seven year-old brother Miguel after the team lost their Division 1 second-round playoff game against Taunton in Milford, MA on June 3, 2025. The team played without Marcelo Gomes da Silva who was being held in detention after being picked up by ICE on his way to volleyball practice.

LEWISTON, ME — 3/12/2025 - Jeyden, 6, (L) did a backflip as he and his cousin Sylvia, 5, played together in Jeyden’s family’s apartment. Jeyden’s...

LEWISTON, ME — 3/12/2025 - Jeyden, 6, (L) did a backflip as he and his cousin Sylvia, 5, played together in Jeyden’s family’s apartment. Jeyden’s brother, Jose Adalberto Herrera, who is 17, had been riding to his new job at a construction site with his uncle, when the Maine State Police pulled the car over for speeding and called on Border Patrol for assistance. After determining Jose was in the country without legal status, Border Patrol arrested and detained both the boy and his uncle. More than two weeks later, Jose remains in federal custody in New York City, apart from his parents and three siblings.

Frilei Brás built a career in Massachusetts working as a radio host, delivering news and religious teachings in Portuguese to the local Brazilian community, while...

Frilei Brás built a career in Massachusetts working as a radio host, delivering news and religious teachings in Portuguese to the local Brazilian community, while raising a family with his wife, who is also undocumented. They’d shared the joys of their six children, now ages 1 to 19, all US citizens, and the pain of her diagnosis with Huntington’s disease. After his last check-in with ICE, the Brazilian native without legal immigration status was told to leave the country in the next 15 days or risk arrest. He chose to self deport, because he couldn’t bear the thought of attempting to stay and being forcibly removed in front of his children.

STOUGHTON, MA — JUNE 18 - Frilei Brás embraced his wife while his children and his daughter’s boyfriend comforted one another on the sofa in...

STOUGHTON, MA — JUNE 18 - Frilei Brás embraced his wife while his children and his daughter’s boyfriend comforted one another on the sofa in the family’s living room as he said his goodbyes before leaving his family and the country he had called home for twenty years behind in Stoughton, MA on June 18, 2025. After his last check-in with ICE, the Brazilian native without legal immigration status was told to leave the country in the next 15 days or risk arrest. He chose to deport, because he couldn’t bear the thought of attempting to stay and being forcibly removed in front of his children.

STOUGHTON, MA — JUNE 18 - In the dark of an early morning Frilei Brás picked up his sleeping one year-old son, Pedro from his...

STOUGHTON, MA — JUNE 18 - In the dark of an early morning Frilei Brás picked up his sleeping one year-old son, Pedro from his bed and cradled him in his arms as he said goodbye before leaving to self-deport to Brazil in Stoughton, MA on June 18, 2025. He’d built a career here working as a radio host, delivering news and religious teachings in Portuguese to the local Brazilian community, while raising a family with his wife, who is also undocumented. They’d shared the joys of their six children, now ages 1 to 19, all US citizens, and the pain of her diagnosis with Huntington’s disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that is attacking her body and brain and leaves her unable to work.

STOUGHTON, MA — JUNE 18 - Frilei Brás lingered in the doorway of the kitchen as his daughters Sarah, 9, (R) Clara, 19 (2nd from...

STOUGHTON, MA — JUNE 18 - Frilei Brás lingered in the doorway of the kitchen as his daughters Sarah, 9, (R) Clara, 19 (2nd from R) and his son Rafael, 5, sat with his daughter’s boyfriend and looked back at him shortly before he left the house and his family for the last time in Stoughton, MA on June 18, 2025. Brás had no criminal record, but he was undocumented, and there were marks against him that doomed his case under the new administration, his lawyer said. He was stopped for a traffic violation in 2018 and missed a court hearing years ago. He checked in with immigration enforcement regularly, and until recently had never had a problem. But at his last check-in, Brás was told to leave the country within 15 days or risk arrest.

STOUGHTON, MA — JUNE 18 - Frilei Brás packs up the last of his things before saying goodbye to his family in Stoughton, MA on...

STOUGHTON, MA — JUNE 18 - Frilei Brás packs up the last of his things before saying goodbye to his family in Stoughton, MA on June 18, 2025. Inside his backpack he tucked his phone, passport, a pocket-size Bible in Portuguese and a document from the Brazilian consulate verifying how long he had been in the US.

STOUGHTON, MA — JUNE 18 - Frilei Brás’ children helped to carry his bags outside as he prepared to leave for the airport to self-deport...

STOUGHTON, MA — JUNE 18 - Frilei Brás’ children helped to carry his bags outside as he prepared to leave for the airport to self-deport back to Brazil, leaving his family behind in Stoughton, MA on June 18, 2025.

BOSTON, MA — JUNE 18 - Frilei Brás walked through Logan airport’s Terminal E as he made his way towards security to leave the United...

BOSTON, MA — JUNE 18 - Frilei Brás walked through Logan airport’s Terminal E as he made his way towards security to leave the United States for his native Brazil as he chose to self deport in Boston, MA on June 18, 2025.

STOUGHTON, MA — JUNE 23 - Rafael Brás, 5, lays in the grass as his siblings play soccer together in the family’s front yard in...

STOUGHTON, MA — JUNE 23 - Rafael Brás, 5, lays in the grass as his siblings play soccer together in the family’s front yard in Stoughton, MA on June 24, 2025.

STOUGHTON, MA — JUNE 23 - Clara, 19 (2nd from L) held out the phone to her siblings to say hello to their father Frilei...

STOUGHTON, MA — JUNE 23 - Clara, 19 (2nd from L) held out the phone to her siblings to say hello to their father Frilei Brás who called in on FaceTime from Brazil in Stoughton, MA on June 24, 2025. Days after self-deporting, he was now thousands of miles away, in Central de Minas, the tiny town where he grew up. Since Brás left, these video chats have become a staple in the family’s routine. He reaches out several times a day, long calls to talk and pray and watch the children play.

STOUGHTON, MA — JUNE 23 - (L-R) Rafael Brás played on the trampoline as his older brother Miguel, 11, comforted one year-old Pedro after he...

STOUGHTON, MA — JUNE 23 - (L-R) Rafael Brás played on the trampoline as his older brother Miguel, 11, comforted one year-old Pedro after he took a tumble his sister, Sarah 9, also reached up to help as their brother Gabriel, 6, jumped behind them as they played together on the trampoline in the backyard in Stoughton, MA on June 24, 2025. The little ones don’t understand how far away their father is now. But the older ones do, In his absence, they have stepped up to help.

STOUGHTON, MA — JUNE 23 - Clara Brás, 19, held her one-year-old brother Pedro as they looked out the window together while their siblings playing...

STOUGHTON, MA — JUNE 23 - Clara Brás, 19, held her one-year-old brother Pedro as they looked out the window together while their siblings playing in the front yard in Stoughton, MA on June 24, 2025. The family doesn’t know yet how they will stay afloat without Frilei. They launched a GoFundMe, and Clara, the oldest daughter, contributes where she can, picking up shifts at Dollar Tree. Brás plans to send money to the family, but Brazilian wages are worth little here — one Brazilian real is just 18 cents.

Victoria Scott’s time in Maine’s progressive prison system had given her the opportunity to work remotely, save up money, and get a college degree during...

Victoria Scott’s time in Maine’s progressive prison system had given her the opportunity to work remotely, save up money, and get a college degree during her incarceration. It altered the course of her life dramatically and helped her become “the version of me that I never had a chance to be,” she said – evolving from a girl who shut herself off from the world and endured abusive boyfriends to a woman giving speeches and drafting policies alongside legislators. Still, she feels an incredible responsibility for what she did. “I wear a scar on my soul,” she said. “I’m never going to be comfortable with or OK that I ended someone’s life. It doesn't make any of what I’ve done since then worth it. And nothing that I ever do will offset that. … The least I could do is … do my best to make it [my life] mean something.”

WINDHAM, ME — 1/03/2025 - Victoria Scott embraces one of her fellow inmates who was allowed to escort her outside of the Southern Maine Women’s...

WINDHAM, ME — 1/03/2025 - Victoria Scott embraces one of her fellow inmates who was allowed to escort her outside of the Southern Maine Women’s Re-Entry Center to say goodbye on her release after being incarcerated for seven years. “I love you guys,” Scott said. After nearly seven years in prison, Scott was anxious to be free. But she was also anxious about all the pitfalls awaiting her. There would be no barriers between her and her old life. No built-in support systems to keep her from falling back into old patterns.

ROCKLAND, ME — 1/03/2025 - On the day of her release Victoria Scott becomes overwhelmed inside Walmart as she goes grocery shopping for the first...

ROCKLAND, ME — 1/03/2025 - On the day of her release Victoria Scott becomes overwhelmed inside Walmart as she goes grocery shopping for the first time after being incarcerated inside the Southern Maine Women’s Re-Entry Center for seven years. “What do humans even need to survive in the wild?” she said. She went all-in on the protein: a three-pound roll of ground beef, a family pack of pork chops, a carton of 60 eggs – $235 worth of food in all. And then she bolted, pushing her overloaded cart briskly ahead of her father and niece, unable to get out of the store fast enough. “One of my greatest fears about being out and about and taking up space in public places is that someone will recognize me and that they’ll be afraid of me, and that’s the last thing I want to do,” she said later. “I don’t want anyone to be afraid.”

CAMDEN, ME — 1/24/2025 - Victoria Scott leans in to thank her father, Ted for giving her a ride to a job interview in Belfast,...

CAMDEN, ME — 1/24/2025 - Victoria Scott leans in to thank her father, Ted for giving her a ride to a job interview in Belfast, Maine as the two drive home together. Victoria had never learned to drive but was now working towards getting her driver’s license. The week prior week, while practicing to drive with a friend in Tomaston, a police cruiser pulled up behind her with its lights flashing. “I started dying inside,” she said. It turned out the officer had gotten calls because she was driving so slowly, but for a few minutes, Scott thought her freedom was over: “Oh my god, I’m going back to prison.”

SOUTH PORTLAND, ME — 1/03/2025 - Victoria Scott embraces her 12 year-old niece, Kyleigh Brooks, after eating breakfast together at IHOP with Victoria’s father, her...

SOUTH PORTLAND, ME — 1/03/2025 - Victoria Scott embraces her 12 year-old niece, Kyleigh Brooks, after eating breakfast together at IHOP with Victoria’s father, her first stop in public after being released from the Southern Maine Women’s Re-Entry Center where she had spent some of her sentence during her seven years of incarceration. “Mostly I’m just terrified that I’m going to wake up and none of this is going to be real,” Scott said.

ROCKLAND, ME — 1/03/2025 - Victoria Scott sits down on boxes in the guest room of the two bedroom apartment that she was able to...

ROCKLAND, ME — 1/03/2025 - Victoria Scott sits down on boxes in the guest room of the two bedroom apartment that she was able to rent from prison after being incarcerated for seven years and cries happy tears. While she was in prison Scott landed a fellowship making $25 an hour as a project manager for the Alliance for Higher Education where she helped develop a guide to remote work, that job allowed her to save nearly $30,000. She applied for supervised community confinement and was able to rent an apartment after her father persuaded the landlord to drop the “no felonies” clause by showing him her résumé and bank statements.

AUGUSTA , ME — 2/11/2025 - Victoria Scott looks out from behind a prison door that two of her formerly incarcerated prison reform colleagues brought...

AUGUSTA , ME — 2/11/2025 - Victoria Scott looks out from behind a prison door that two of her formerly incarcerated prison reform colleagues brought along with them to the Maine State House in order to give lawmakers there a sense of what it means to be in prison as they advocate for reforms. One of those colleagues, Jeremy Hiltz, spent a year behind that door at the Maine Correctional Center. The door “used to be a barrier, now it’s a microphone,” said Hiltz, who acquired the door when part of the prison was torn down.

AUGUSTA , ME — 2/11/2025 - Victoria Scott (C) thanks a lawmaker for their question as she speaks with legislators about prison reform at the...

AUGUSTA , ME — 2/11/2025 - Victoria Scott (C) thanks a lawmaker for their question as she speaks with legislators about prison reform at the State House in Maine. Scott told her story to a room full of legislators during a lunch and learn there, “I was paralyzed with no idea how to find my way out of the darkness that I felt myself in,” said Scott. “It was a tragedy that going to prison was the only way to encounter any of these opportunities that would foster my potential and allow me to flourish completely as a person.”

ROCKLAND, ME — 1/24/2025 - Victoria Scott breaks down as she recalls the night in 2017 when she acted in self defense and fatally stabbed...

ROCKLAND, ME — 1/24/2025 - Victoria Scott breaks down as she recalls the night in 2017 when she acted in self defense and fatally stabbed a man who was a friend of her ex-boyfriend’s during an altercation in a driveway. During her trial Scott’s defense was hindered by the fact that Maine doesn’t have a Stand Your Ground law, which means that if someone has the ability to disengage from an assault, they must retreat, said Paul Corey, the attorney who handled Scott’s post-conviction review. Everything supported the case that Scott was being strangled and feared for her life, he said, but because she didn’t walk away when she had the chance, the state considered it manslaughter.

AUGUSTA, ME — MAY 10 - Victoria Scott walks out with her fellow graduates during her graduation from University of Maine at Augusta in Augusta,...

AUGUSTA, ME — MAY 10 - Victoria Scott walks out with her fellow graduates during her graduation from University of Maine at Augusta in Augusta, Maine May 10, 2025. Victoria had started working towards her bachelors at University of Maine while she was incarcerated. When the Pandemic hit and instructors were no longer allowed to come inside to teach college classes, some Maine prison residents were given laptops and Internet access and the ability to attend classes with other college students over Zoom. Scott started taking classes offered by The Educational Justice Institute at MIT, The experience was life changing, Scott said.

ROCKLAND, ME — JUNE 26 - Victoria Scott embraces her boyfriend Henry Hunt as the two make dinner together at her apartment in Rockland, ME...

ROCKLAND, ME — JUNE 26 - Victoria Scott embraces her boyfriend Henry Hunt as the two make dinner together at her apartment in Rockland, ME on June 26, 2025. Henry was nothing like the men she used to go out with, Victoria said. He was sweet, kind, polite. Safe. And he got her. He had dealt with abuse, neglect, and unhealthy relationships and is also on the autism spectrum. “Henry is my lesson in learning to receive love,” she said.