Critical Exposure provides an outlet for D.C. students

Critical Exposure teaches Washington area students how to use photography and their own voices to become advocates for school reform and social change. Over the last seven years the organization has served more than 1,000 students and helped raise more than $500 million dollars in new funding for public schools in underserved communities. The opening celebration for their annual exhibit of student photography and advocacy projects was on May 23 at the Old Naval Hospital in Southeast.

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'Hazard' by Levi Thompson, 10th grader at Sasha Bruce Youth-Led/S.T.E.P. Up DC. "This is a picture of the ceiling in my Spanish II class. The condition of classrooms makes kids leave if it’s later in the day, and it also smells. The reason the kids leave is because the ceiling gives out a really bad odor that makes most students who come to class leave. When it rains the water starts to spill over from the buckets," he said.

Levi Thompson / Critical Exposure

'A Vision So Clear With A Sound So Faint' by Byron Coleman, 12th grader at Spingarn STAY Senior High School. "My brother got shot....before he got shot he graduated from high school. And now... I’m just getting back in here because I know he wanted me to finish school, and I made him a promise that I would finish school and walk across that same stage that he walked across. And I’m going to make sure that I fulfill my promise--my word is my bond," he said.

Byron Coleman / Critical Exposure

'If Eyes Had Voices', Self-portrait by Coleman. "When I look at this picture I see a window. I feel like through this picture you can open up my brain and pick out what I'm thinking. I was trying to capture the emotion in my eyes and in my face to tell a story that I've been hurt, but there's always a brighter outlook on life," he said.

Byron Coleman / Critical Exposure

'Claiming/Beefing Over Hoods' by Rayvon, 12th grader at Sasha Bruce Youth-Led/S.T.E.P. Up DC. "These are photos of blood on the floor of my school from a fight over hoods. A whole rack of people from 41st, Barry Farms, and Choppa City are in my school. They fight all the time when people throw their gang signs and anyone who sees it joins in. I can’t afford nothing happening to me because I’m supposed to graduate," he said.

Rayvon / Critical Exposure

'What Happens To A Dream Deferred' by Christopher Jolly, 12th grader at Sasha Bruce Youth-Led/S.T.E.P. Up DC. "Taking this picture, I thought of the student who was most likely sitting in that seat when the firearm was pulled. School safety is supposed to be number one and people wonder why students can’t focus or learn in these environments," he said.

Christopher Jolly / Critical Exposure

'How To Unlock Education' by Joshua Elliot, 11th grader at The Washington Metropolitan High School. "This is a photo of a broken doorknob sitting on a table. It needs to be fixed just like the education system. The doorknob is a symbolic figure of how the library is not in use during the school year. The library and the doorknob are one in the same: dysfunctional. We need help to build up our library so that we can have more access to knowledge," he said.

Joshua Elliot / Critical Exposure

'Wake Up Samera' by Samera, 11th grader, Critical Exposure Fellowship Program. "In 2010 I dropped out of high school because I was bullied and the administrators refused to help me. When you're out of school for 277 days, there isn't much to do. I slept to run away from my problems," she said.

Samera / Critical Exposure

'Self Portrait' of Tavish Curtis, 19, Luke C. Moore Academy High School. His poem: "I am powerful. My smile on my face shows it all. If I look sad I would blow it all. People say why I look like I haven’t been hurt? It’s not that, it’s I put my smile first. People that know me know I'm changing for the better every day, when I see people doing the same things every day," he said.

Tavish Curtis / Critical Exposure

'Three In One' by Tynia Davis, 11th grader at The Washington Metropolitan High School. "This photo shows how my high school has a three-in-one gym, auditorium, and cafeteria. Because our school is in an old elementary school building, we do not have the needed room for high school students," she said.

Tynia Davis / Critical Exposure

'The Power of Photography' by Yarborough, 12th grader at The Washington Metropolitan High school. Daniel Ross, 12th grader at Washington Metropolitan participates on a photo walk inside their school.

Eugene Yarborough / Critical Exposure

'Peer Jury & Restorative Justice': (L to R): Davis, Tyrell Garrett and Yarborough. "We’re trying to start a Peer Jury Council, which is basically giving some kids the opportunity to connect with other kids their ages and trying to figure out what’s going on in school, why some don’t want to strive for the best and why they aren’t doing as good as they could do," Yarborough said.

Tyrell Garrett / Critical Exposure

'Self-Portrait' by Anthony Marsh, 19, Luke C. Moore Academy High School. "The important thing that I think about this picture is the creativity of the image. It’s art, me and my reflection together. Art is important to me now, because it’s about thinking... I used to think pictures are just pictures but when an artist is taking a picture, there are ideas, a lot of creativity. It’s not as easy as it looks," he said.

Anthony Marsh / Critical Exposure

'Ward 4 Unites': Critical Exposure student leaders from Roosevelt Senior High School demanded that DCPS and the D.C. Department of General Services begin the long-delayed modernization of the school. As of May 2012 the city is set to begin Roosevelt's modernization in 2014.

Critical Exposure / Critical Exposure

In January 2011 Critical Exposure initiated a program at the Washington Metropolitan High School. Students identified their school's lack of a library as a major obstacle to academic success. After a semester of documenting a disorganized storeroom and the consequences of illiteracy, the students presented their photographs and writing to DCPS officials. Eventually they received more than $20,000 in funding and thousands of donated books. In February 2012, more than one year after they began their project, Critical Exposure students at D.C. Met celebrated their victory by hosting an opening celebration. Their school now has a fully-equipped library, complete with relevant books, sturdy shelves, new computers, chairs and tables.

Riccardo Savi / Critical Exposure

'Declaration Of Rejuvenation' by Alexandria Marsh, 12th grader at Roosevelt Senior High School. "From the front of the school, it looks like the students who used to go to Roosevelt would have a sense of pride. Students now, we should feel the same way about entering our front door. But we don’t. Now we don't even enter the front door," she said.

Alexandria Marsh / Critical Exposure

Marsh documents the front entrance of her school building, which hasn't been accessible to students, staff, or visitors for years.

Critical Exposure / Critical Exposure

'Hallways' by Khadijah, 19, Luke C. Moore Academy High School. "When my brother who is now 29 went here, he told me that this school was crazy. He told me that the teachers didn't care enough about the kids' education. There were a lot of illegal things taking place in the hallways, instead of learning in class. Now that I go here, I can actually say that Luke C. Moore has changed inside and out. Graduating is their main priority. When he told me all the experiences he had in my school, I was more proud than judgmental because anyone can see that Luke has changed as a school and as a community," she said.

Khadijah / Critical Exposure

(L to R): Ronald Wright, 20; Curtis; Alona Dunn, 19. Students from Luke C. Moore Academy High School celebrate the completion of their student-produced arts magazine. Students used photography and writing to successfully advocate for $1,000 from the school's principal to pay for the printing of the magazine.

/ Critical Exposure

'Locked Doors' by Diamond Diggs, 9th grader at The Washington Metropolitan High School. "This is a picture of the library at D.C. Met. The door is locked because of the room not being fixed up. As you can see, there is some stuff in the library but we can't get to it. It makes me feel sad because the students of D.C. Met can't go in it to read," she said.

Diamond Diggs / Critical Exposure

'Shedding Windows' by Marsh. "These are the windows outside of my school. The paint is coming off because the school hasn't been painted in many, many years. It makes me feel as if no one is ever going to fix the windows and we deserve better," said Sabrina, 9th grader at Roosevelt.

Alexandria Marsh / Critical Exposure

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