Since moving to DC in 2023, I have found myself deeply engrossed by the nation’s capital. In Washington, one can find the city itself to be a microcosm of what occurs nationally for Black americans. Quickly, one is reminded that America rarely finds itself on a solid foundation. Since moving here, I have been drawn to photographing the evolving consequences of this shaky foundation. The remaining whispers of beauty in freshly gentrified Black neighborhoods commanded my attention immediately. Seeing how the nation’s capital and its power structure attempt to erase Blackness to polish the city’s image enraged me. The cries of Black residents––left behind and discarded––are present through graffiti that reads like tragic poetry. The suffocating anxiety of an ever-perilous American experience––felt by all races––so close to the heart of the nation sent me out to photograph. The pride worn on a grandmother's face fresh out of church, the stern face of an indignant protester, and a man scavenging through the wreckage of a burnt house all elucidate the range of Black experiences in this country.