In partnership with Communities In Schools of Houston, Inc., Houston Center for Photography is pleased to present our virtual exhibition, I like being a girl, featuring a selection of works created in our Girls’ Own Stories program at Spring Branch Middle School during the 2019 – 2020 school year. Over the course of the year, the 6th – 8th grade students explored their physical environments and their personal identities as young girls through photography and creative writing. As they developed greater confidence with photography, they developed greater confidence in themselves and in their relationships with each other. While the program was unexpectedly cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the images themselves are evidence of the joy, wonder, and community that was cultivated throughout the program that will resonate far beyond the pandemic.

HCP would like to thank teaching artist, Anne Houang, for her guidance and leadership of the students in this program and Communities In Schools of Houston, Inc. Student Support Manager, Nelda Zuñiga, for her ongoing partnership and commitment to the Girls’ Own Stories program.

The Girls’ Own Stories program and its virtual exhibition are generously supported by the Anne Levy Foundation, Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation, and the Phillip and Edith Leonian Foundation.

 

I like being a girl…

 

I like being a girl,

To love and be loved,

Because I have the gift to give and see life.

 

Too many times,

We are asked to act lady like and not to get dirty outside,

We are called names because of what we wear,

We are assumed to be too sensitive,

We are assumed to be good cooks.

 

Girls are still fighting for their rights!

 

I am a girl,

I am not afraid of bugs,

I can fix a flat tire,

And I do not need help from boys.

 

I am a girl and there is so much I can do,

I have the choice to wear makeup, do my hair, dress creatively.

I can handle so much that I can achieve the impossible.

I can enjoy a longer life span.

I have the freedom to do whatever I want.

 

Girls! 

We are all special and unique and in our own way we are the most important in the world!

 

With love,

Girls’ Own Stories at Spring Branch Middle School

Spring 2020