Deborah Jones

My name is Deborah Jones. This picture is where I would say— this is Marita—and she is and has been for years been my best friend. We grew up not in the same exact neighborhood, but we grew up as very close friends. Her cousin was very close to me as well. I believe I was 23 years old when I had my first daughter. She helped me in a very close way to help begin raising—we always call her our daughter—but we were just very close friends.

The truth that it tells me about my family is that we had a way of always loving everybody. Our community that existed. It just was always based on love. People that probably didn't really know us very well just became a part of our village, regardless of what effect they took on us. We we just were always there for everybody. We befriended most anybody because no one was a stranger, is what I would say. No one was a stranger to us. And if we had an opportunity to show them love, we did.

Click below to hear Deborah share the story of this photograph and the Avondale community: