Holding on to Innocence (from the "Royal Blue" series)

Beverly Price began exploring photography in 2016 as she witnessed the rapid gentrification of her birthplace of Washington, DC. She decided to pick up the camera to document the stories of her fellow DC natives. The Royal Blue Series follows the aftermath of the murder of 11-year-old Karon Brown in Washington, DC, and its effects on his close family and friends. Price began documenting Karon’s brother and friends in July 2019 when they were 13. She revisited them in 2022 to document their grief, healing, and growth. This selection of photographs from the series span these three years in the boys’ lives, showing joy and resilience even after the devastation of losing Karon. In the first photograph from 2019, Karon’s brother can be seen in the frame along with three friends. Holding Onto Innocence shows the boys, a year older, at a playground where they spent much of their youth. Youthful Memories again revisits the playground, where the then-16-year-old boys look back at older photographs of themselves on a phone, bringing the series to a full circle.

Beverly Price

2022