CPOY

CPOY 76 Interpretive Project Award of Excellence: Team El

They were just teenagers when they were convicted of murder and sentenced to a combined fifty years in prison. Lashonia and Sean Thompson-El never knew each other growing up but still found themselves locked up, hundreds of miles apart, and alone with their anger and trauma. Today, the two are married and dedicate their lives to trying to prevent the violence they themselves used to cause. Their commitment to healing prevails through the pain and stress that come with life post incarceration. Together, they have crafted a love that liberates and empowers. Team El is a project exploring the way society views individuals convicted of violent crimes. Lashonia, Sean, and the photographer collaborated over the course of the year to highlight the most important aspects of the couple's lives and what they wanted the world to know about them, taking part in discussing the narrative of the story down to the photo editing. Through these intimate images we hope to break the chains that continue to confine the formerly incarcerated by judging them irredeemable.

Caption
Slide 2 of 10
January 29, 2021
A memorial to “Snoop” hangs on a fence at the sight of a shooting death in Washington, DC near Sean and Lashonia’s home. Memorials are left up for months and peace walks are held with every shooting so as not to normalize the violence.
Location
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