Celeste Didlick Davis

ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPH:

I live in the Oakland neighborhood of Middletown, Ohio. This picture focuses on relationships, the timelessness of them, the fact that they don't always have to be: I see you every day, I talk to you every day.

We have strong relationships. There's a certain level of trust and interaction, even with disagreements, but it's the people and their connection to one another. That is one of the strengths of this community. No matter the socioeconomic status, no matter the trouble, no matter the things one has to have to overcome. Middie Pride is this kinship, this understanding of what it means to be from Middletown.

That's part of the pride even when Forbes said it is one of the 10 fastest dying cities of its size. Part of my research in academia had to do with looking at that comment and challenging it in certain ways. I understand why. Because there's such racism and there's such gender bias and gender identity phobias and so many -isms that we have here. But it continues to be, despite the trouble, a solid community with solid relationships. 

In this picture, we have a millionaire, we have someone who might be just on the side of being homeless—the diversity of the community. There's a strength. It's not about socioeconomic status. It's not about belief. There's one Caucasian in the picture, not because we don't have any, but because that young lady has been a part of our educational setting.

I was raising a son as a solo parent, I was a caregiver for a person who was 35 years older than me. So when I look at that picture, I think, friendship is not just in the good times. So some people we hadn't seen, many of them still remained in Middletown. And the diversity would be amazing if you looked at the demographics, but there was a time there was a bond and it wasn't just in that picture. It's as if we saw one another walking down the street.

If you don't have a family, Middletown will give you that so nobody is without some kind of support.