Nonprofit storytelling: Duluth Center for Women and Children

I began working with the Duluth Center for Women and Children (DCWC) as a senior at University of Minnesota Duluth, hoping to use photography to support grassroots storytelling and social justice work in Minnesota. DCWC serves women and families in Duluth’s Central Hillside neighborhood, many of whom are navigating generational poverty and systemic barriers. When I first showed up with my camera, I didn’t take a single photo. Trust wasn’t assumed, and it shouldn’t have been. Cameras can feel extractive, especially for communities that have experienced trauma, so I committed to consent, transparency, and showing up consistently before ever documenting a moment.

More than two years later, my camera is a welcomed presence. Through Nourish, DCWC’s community-led meal kit program, I’ve been able to document research-driven, relationship-based work focused on food access, dignity, and care. As a Minnesota nonprofit photographer, Duluth social justice photographer, and Minnesota documentary photographer, this experience continues to shape how I approach ethical storytelling: stories unfold over time and the most meaningful images are made when the people most impacted lead the narrative.

This initiative was made possible through funding from Boreal Waters Community Foundation, Northland Foundation, Essentia Health, Minnesota Department of Health

Photoshoot locations: Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, University of Minnesota Duluth, Washington Center, Steve O’Neil Apartments—all in Duluth, Minnesota.

Community partners, the Hillside Coalition: Zeitgeist Arts, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), Family Freedom Center