How to expunge (seal) criminal record in DC

 Having a criminal record is harmful in many ways.  You might not even remember that you have a criminal record, because the case was dropped and you staying in jail only for few hours or a day or two.  However, with out you knowing it, you might be turn down for job, housing and loan opportunities.

Here are the steps you can take to clean your recored in Washington, DC.

1.  Go to DC Superior Court at

     500 Indiana Ave NW

     4th Floor Room 4001 

2.  Ask the clerks to print the paper with the information of your court case

3.  Take that paper to MPD @

     441 4th Street NW

     Washington, DC (near the Judiciary Square Metro station)

     From this office, get "Criminal History Report or Arrest Record"

     Pay the $7 and submit application fee 

4.      Go back to DC Superior Court @ 500 Indiana ave.  Room # 4001

         Complete an application called "motion to seal"

If you are not able to complete the application by yourself you can get help from the following organizations.

1.    Christian Legal Aid

        (202) 710-0592

        https://christianlegalaid-dc.org

2.    Legal Aid DC

        (202) 628-1161

        https://www.lgalaiddc.org

3.     Rising for Justice

        (202) 628-1161

        https://risingforjustice.org

4.    Neighborhood Legal Services

        (202) 832-6577

        https://www.dcrefers.org

        https://www.dcrefers.org

5.     Public Defender Services

        (202) 628-1200

        https://www.pdsdc.org

        https://www.dcrefers.org

Good luck.

May God help you.    

Ethiopia's DNA

DNA studies trace migration from Ethiopia
Research dates origins up to 100,000 years
Los Angeles Times

Scrutinizing the DNA of 938 people from 51 distinct populations around the world, geneticists have created a detailed map of how humans spread from their home base in sub-Saharan Africa to populate the farthest reaches of the globe over the last 100,000 years.

The pattern of genetic mutations, to be published Friday in the journal Science, offers striking evidence that an ancient band of explorers left what is now Ethiopia and -- along with their descendants -- went on to colonize North Africa, the Middle East, Europe, southern and central Asia, Australia and its surrounding islands, the Americas and East Asia. A second analysis based on some of the same DNA samples corroborated the results. Those findings, published Thursday in the journal Nature, demonstrated that the greater the geographic distance between a population and its African ancestors, the more changes had accumulated in its genes.

The story of human migration revealed by DNA "compliments what's known through history, linguistics or anthropology," said Jun Li, the University of Michigan human geneticist who led the Science study.

Both research groups relied on DNA from blood samples collected by anthropologists around the world as part of the Human Genome Diversity Project, a controversial effort from the mid-1990s to gather genetic specimens from thousands of populations, including many indigenous tribes.

Previous studies have relied on data from the International HapMap Consortium, which cataloged DNA from 269 people of Nigerian, Japanese, Chinese and European descent.

"Instead of saying a particular person's genome is from Africa, this kind of data allows us to say which part of Africa they were from," said Andrew Singleton, chief of the molecular genetics section at the National Institute on Aging in Bethesda, Md., and senior author of the Nature report. The studies were funded by the NIH, the National Science Foundation and private foundations.

In both studies, the researchers analyzed more than a half-million single-letter changes among the approximately 3 billion As, Cs, Ts and Gs that make up the human genome. Those changes -- called "single nucleotide polymorphisms," or SNPs -- begin as random mutations and accumulate over time as they are passed from one generation to the next.

Each time a small group left its home territory to found a new population, the migration ultimately led to a unique pattern of SNPs. Comparing those patterns, the researchers were able to show that humans spread around the globe through a series of migrations that originated from a single location near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

With the expanded DNA data set, Li's group was able to make finer distinctions among groups that were previously treated as homogeneous populations. In Europe, for example, the researchers were able to distinguish between Orcadians from present-day Scotland, the French, Tuscans, and Northern Italians from what is now Bergamo.

In the Far East, population geneticists previously had surmised that northern and southern Han Chinese were distinct populations, and that the Japanese islands were populated by northern Han.

"Now we have direct evidence that that's true," Li said.

የፀሎት ቦታ በቤታችን የኢትዮጵያ ኦርቶዶክስ ስነስራዓት

የፀሎት ስፍራ በቤታችን የፀሎት ቦታ እቤት ዉስጥ ንጹህ ወደ ምስርቅ የሚያመላከት የጽሎት ቦታ ማዘጋጀት። 

 • ዋናው መፀለይ እና መስገድ መጀመር ሲሆን ቀስ በቀስ የፀሎቱን ቦታ ማስፋት እና ማሻሻል ይቻላል። 

 • ስፍራዉ ላይ የጥጥ ምንጣፍ ማዘጋጅት። • እዚ ጽሎት ቤት ዉስጥ መፀለይ፣ መስገድን እና የፀሎት መጽሓፍትን ማንበብ። 

 • ዋናው መፀለይ እና መስገድ መጀመር ሲሆን ቀስ በቀስ የፀሎቱን ቦታ ማስፋት እና ማሻሻል ይቻላል። 

 ይህንን ቦታ በአባቶች የተሳለ፡ 

 • የመድሓንያ አለምን፣ 

 • የቅድስት ማርያምን 

 • እና የቁሳን የመላእክቶችን ምስል በክብር በነጠላ ሸፍኖ ማስቀመጥ። 

 • አላማዉ ሃሳባችን እንዲሰበሰብና ተመስጦ እንኖረን ነዉ። ከምስሎቹ ስር 

     • መጽሓፍ ቅዱስ፣ 

     • ፀበል፣ 

     • የወይራ ዘይት፣ እምነት፣ 

     • ዕጣን 

     • ንፁህ ሽቶ 

     • እና ገድሎችን ማስቀመጥ። 

 ስግደት 

    • የአምልኮ ስግደት ፟ ለእግዚአብሔር ብቻ ሰዉነታችን፣ ጉልበታችን፣ ግንባራችን እና ሃሳባችን አንተ አምላክ ነህ እያለ እንሰግዳለን። 

• የፀጋ ስግደት ፟ ለመቤታችን ብቻ። ከወገባችን ዝቅ ብለን። 

• የክብር ስግደት ፟ ለቅዱስ መላእክት እና ለሰማእታት ከአንገታችን አጎንብሰን። 

 ስንጃምር ቤተሰቡ በአንድነት ፀሎት ቦታ ውስጥ ቢያንስ በቀን አንድ ግዜ መፀለይ እና መስገድ። ቢያንስ አቡነ ዘበሰማያትን (የዘወትር ፀሎት) በየእለቱ መፀለይ። እየለመድን ስንመጣ ሌሎችን የጽሎት መጻሃፍትን በህብረት ማንበብ፣ መፀለይ እና መስገድ። ቀስበቀስም በመከተለዉ ሁኔታ ማጠናከር። • ስዕሎቹ ቅብአ ቅዱስ ይቀባሉ ተፀልዮባቸው፡፡ 

     • የእመቤታችን፣ የቅዱስ ሚካኤል እና የቅዱስ ገብርኤል በግራና ቀኝ በመምበርከክ በግምባር ልክ ማስቀመጥ፡፡ 

     • መቆም ደግሞ የመድኃኔ ዓለም እና የሥላሴ ስዕል ይደረጋል፡፡ 

     • ከስዕሉ የመጽሐፍ መግለጫ ያህል ነው ራቅ የሚባለው፡፡ 

     • ቢቻል ቢቻል ቤተ ክርስቶያን ተባርካው በቅዳሴ ግዜ ቅብአ ቅዱስ ተቀብተው ቢመጡ ጥሩ ነው። 

     • በጥሩ ፍሬም መሰራት አለባቸው፡፡ • 

ከምስሎቹ ስር የፀሎት ውሃ፣ እጣን፣ የቤተ ክርስትያን እምነት፣ የወይራ ዘይትማስቀመጥ። 

    • የመጽሐፍት ማስቀመጫ እዛው ስዕሉ ሥር መኖር አለበት፡፡ ፀሎት ቤት ውስጥ ስለሚቀመጡት    የፀሎት ቁሳቁስ አንደኛው የፀሎት ውሃ፡- 

    • የፀሎት ውሃ የቅዳሴ ፀበል ውሃ ጠብ ሊደረግበትም ይችላል፡፡ 

    • ሌላም ጠበል ሊሆን ይችላል፡፡ አልያም ፍፁም ንፁህ ውሃ ሊሆን ይችላል፡፡ 

    • በምንፀልይበት ግዜ እፍ እንለዋለን፡፡ 

    • ምክንያቱም ቃለ እግዚአብሔር ይደርበት፣ የተባረከ ይሁን ማለት ነው፡፡ 

    • የፀሎቱ መንፈስና ኃይል በፀሎት ውሃው ላይ በሚያርፍበት ግዜ ያ እጅግ በጣም የተለየ ይሆናል ማለት ነው፡፡ ሁለተኛ እምነት፡- 

     • እምነት መስዋዕት የቀረበበት፣ የዕጣን ማሳረግያ የተከናወነበት ሲሆን፡፡ 

     • ቤተ መቅደሱን ዞሮ፣ ታቦቱን ዞሮ፣ ልዑል እግዚአብሔርን እያመሰገነ የተማፀነበት፣ ስለ ህዝቡ ሐጥያት ስርየት የተደረገበት ነው፡፡ 

     • ስለዚህ ከቅዳሴ በኋላ ያለ እምነት ወስዶ ፀሎት ቦታ ላይ ማስቀመጥ በጣም አስፈላጊ ነው፡፡ ሦስተኛ ዕጣን፡- 

 o ለአግዚአብሔር የሚቀርብ ስጦታስለሆነ ነው። 

 o ማቲዮስ 2፤ 11 o ሶስቱ የጥበብ ሰዎች ጌታ በተወለደ ግዜ እንዳቀረቡለት አራተኛ የወይራ ዘይት፡-

 • የወይራ ዘይት በመጽሐፍ ቅዱስ ውስጥ ብዙ ቦታዎች ላይ በመንፈሳዊ ተስፋ ይታወቃል፡፡ • በመዝሙር 22 ላይ ‹‹ራሴን በዘይት ቀባሁ›› ይላል፡፡ 

 • የወይራ ዘይት ደግሞ ማንኛዉም ክርስትያን የሚጠቀምበት ነው፡፡ 

 • እግዚአብሔርን አመስግኖ፣ እፈ ብሎ በራሱ የፀሎት ባርኮት ውስጥ ሊጠቀሙበት ይቻላሉ፡፡ በሃየማኖት እየበረታን ስንመጣ እናዚህን የፀሎት ሰዓታትን ማክበር፣ የፀሎትና እና የስግደት ስርዓት አቡነ ዘበሰማያት እና የቅድስት ማርያምን ፀሎት መድገም 

1. በመንፈቀ ሌሊት (12:ዐ0AM) 

2. በ11ሠዓት (5:00 AM) ዌዳሴ ማርያም፣ ሰይፈ መለኮት፣ ሠይፈ ሥላሴ 

3. በ3 ሠዓት (9:00 AM) አርጋኖን፣ መልክአ ገብርኤል፤ 

4. በ6 ሠዓት (12:00 PM) መልክአ ስላሴ፣ መልክአ ሚካኤል፤ 

5. በ9 ሠዓት (3:00 PM ) መልክአ መድኃኒዓለም፣ መልከአ ኡራኤል፤ 

6. በ11 ሠዓት (5፡00PM) 

7. በ3 ማታ (9:00 PM) 

መልክአ ሩፋኤል፣ አርጋኖን፤ የዘወትር የአምልኮ ስግደት፦ (መቅረት የሌለበት) የዉዳሴ ማርያም መጸሃፍ ላይ ያለዉን የዘወትር ጸሎት መፀለይ ይገባል። 

 • ለአብ እሰግዳለሁ፣ 

• ለወልድ እሰግዳለሁ፣

• ለመንፈስ ቅዱስ እሰግዳለሁ፣ 

• ምስጋና ይሁን ለአብ፣ 

• ምስጋና ይሁን ለወልድ፣ 

• ምስጋና ይሁን ለመንፈስ ቅዱስ፣ 

• በረከቱን ለሰጠን፣ ኃይሉን ላበዛልን፣ በዚህ ሠዓት ላቆመን፣ በቸርነቱ መንገድ ለመራን፣ በዚህ ሠዓት በፀጋ ለጠበቀን፣ በብርሃኑ ኃይል ለመራኸን፣ ላንተ፥ ክብር ምስጋና ይግባኽ፤ 

• ሃሌ ሉያ ለአብ፣ 

• ሃሌ ሉያ ለወልድ፣ 

• ሃሌ ሉያ ለመንፈስ ቅዱስ፤ 

• ቅዱስ እግዚአብሔር፣ 

• ቅዱስ ኃያል፣ 

• ቅዱስ ሕያው፣ 

• ቅዱስ ኤልሻዳይ፣ 

• ቅዱስ አዶናይ፣ 

• ቅዱስ ያህዌ፣ 

• ቅዱስ ፀባኦት፣ 

• ቅዱስ ኢየሱስ፣ 

• ቅዱስ ክርስቶስ፣ 

• ቅዱስ አማኑኤል፣ 

• የድንግል ማርያም ልጅ፤ ክብር ምስጋና ይግባው!። የንስሐ (ምህራት የመጠየቂያ) ስግደት፦ 

• ኪርያ ላይሶን ኢየሱስ፣ 

• ኪርያ ላይሶን ክርስቶስ፣ 

• ኪርያ ላይሶን አማኑኤል፣ 

• አቤቱ ክርስቶስ ሆይ ማረን፣ 

• አቤቱ አምላክ ሆይ ማረን፣ 

• አቤቱ መድኃኒዓለም ሆይ ማረን፣ 

• አቤቱ የድንግል ማርያም ልጅ ሆይ ማረን!። የፀጋ ስግደት፦ 

• ለድንግል ማርያምም እሰግዳለሁ፣ ክብር ምስጋና ይገባሻል። ይሄ የፀጋ ስግደት ነው፡፡ ፀጋ የተቀበለች ስለሆነ፡፡ የክብር ስግደት፦ 

• ለቅዱስ ሚካኤል እሰግዳለሁ፡፡ ይሄ ለጥበቃውና ለክብሩ፡፡ የእርሱን ክብር የፀሎት የምስጋና፣ የጥበቃዉን ክብር ለማግኘት፡፡ የክብር ስግደት ነው፡፡ የፀሎቱን ቦታ ሱባኤ ለበግባት መጠቀም እንችላለን።

How to support your Baby’s Mother

How to support your Baby’s Momma Be a great father. Confucius, Leonard Da Vinci, Barack Obama, Madonna, The Weeknd and more were all raised by a single parent. So you do not know where your child will end up eventually. In addition, supporting your offspring not only helps your child but yourself as well. You learn a great deal about life from your child. They make you a better and stronger person. It would feel good to you physiologically and spiritually. It would also bring your heart the joy that you can't find anywhere else. 

 The most important person in your life is your child that you have brought in this world without their choice. It is your responsibility to support and contribute to her/his welfare, growth, health and happiness. Most of all once you have a child with a woman; you are forever connected with the mother. You have the power to contribute to this relationship to be positive or negative. 

Never make the child a weapon to attack the mother. Not a lot of women plan to be a single parent but understand most weak up and do their best to raise the child, which is not easy. However, if you believe your child is in any kind of danger, you can take full responsibility to raise him/her. It is ok to have different type of parenting style. The mother or the father should not try to micromanage the child’s time with the other parent. You could try to get back into relationship with the Mom, if you wish, in a respectful manner. 

However, you do not have the right try to change or control her love life. She also doesn't have the right to control your love life. Make sure the people you date or bring around you child do not harm her/ him in any kind of way. In addition, it would help you a great deal in becoming a good and responsible father, if you have respectful communication with the Mom. In the beginning it may be hard and you can minimize conflict by involving a third party to help you arrange access to visit your child and provide support. You could also use text and email, if you have difficulty in communication. The most important support a father could provide to your baby is physical, financial and emotional support. By law you have the right to have access to your child. 

Meaning no one could deny the father to see his child, even if he does not provide financial support. However, your request to visiting your child has to be reasonable. The father does not necessary have to go to court to arrange the time to see his child. He could negotiate with the mother. Try to be flexible and mindful of the mother’s schedule. For example, try to arrange the visitation when the mother needs a child care so she doesn't have to pay for the babysitter. The father could also see his child during daycare/ school pick up and drop off time by taking the child back and forth. That would help the Mom and she can take care of the child better. If the mother refuses to let the father have visitation, you have the right to take her to court to enforce your right to see your child in regular basis. When the child is with you, talk to him, take him out to movies, playground, swimming, age appropriate family and friends events. Feed him health food. Make sure he gets fresh air and sunshine. Teach him your language. Introduce him with family and friends. 

 The father also have a right to be the primary care taker of your child. Meaning the father can be the one who raises his child or can have joint physical custody. Meaning the father can equally share the responsibility to raising the child. This could be arranged where the child lives with the Mother one year and the father the other year and continue alternating. This could also be done by weekly or monthly bases. The mother and father could discuss and come up with a schedule they think will work the best for their child. They could also go to medication center and negotiate and write an agreement. In Washington DC the DC Superior Court provides free mediation service. If you are in a very far place from your child, you can arrange once or twice phone or video call time daily or weekly, where you talk to them and help them learn. 

You can also arrange for your child to come and spend time with you during summer and school brakes. It would be also be a great idea to let the Mom know that whenever she needs a brake or during emergencies, you will be able to take care of your child. 

 Regarding finical support, you have a legal obligation to provide child support at any time when the child is not living with you. You might as well, search your State’s child support guidelines and calculate the child support and send it to the mother every month. Make sure you use a method that allows you to keep a record of you support. The mother has a legal right to enforce child support in the court. Once the court is involved, the matter is out of your hand. You have to pay child support since the filing date. If you do not fulfill your obligation, you might lose your driver’s license and passports, even go to jail. The government also has a right to bring you to court and force you to pay, if your child is receiving government assistance. 

Therefore, it is best if you directly provide monthly support to mother. To boost your child’s confidence, you can send him/ her clothes, books, toys, pictures and letters. When the child is with you, do not talk negatively about the mother. You are forever connected with the mother. You both will be there you for your child’s graduation, wedding and grand-kids events. The sooner you treat the mother like a family member, the better. In addition, you don't know where your baby would eventual ends up. To provide all this necessary support, you don't have to be rich or educated, you only have to be smart and have the heart to care for your child so you will not regret for not being a part of your child upbringing. If you didn't participate in raising the child, you cannot go looking for them when they become successful.

Peaceful co-parenting 

Parenting team work

Ethiopia - Festival of 1000 Stars

Dc Business Owners

The amnesty program will begin on November 1, 2012, and continue through December 31, 2012. All businesses operating with an expired business license or operating without any business license qualify under the amnesty program and will not be charged late fees. This temporary amnesty program is an opportunity for businesses to come into compliance with the District’s business license and corporations laws without facing significant fines and penalties, said Mayor Gray.

Asnakech Worku - "Une grande dame d'Ethiopie" - a great artist from E...

Gabriel Teodros "Tizita" Music Video

Global Perspective: 9th and U

Global Perspective: 9th and U

Tigist Shibabaw Eshururu from the African Dreams Album

Michelle Obama Dances 'The Dougie' At Alice Deal Middle School

aya belew belew by BOLE TO HARLEM

Meklit Hadero - "Leaving Soon": SXSW 2011 Showcasing Artist

Amy Winehouse parody - by Zewdy

Building Secure Communities Together

DC Mayor Vincent Gray signed last week an Executive Order prohibiting local law enforcement authorities from questioning people they encounter about their immigration status. This Order is a good step in responding to the misguided efforts of states like Alabama and Arizona that seek to have their authorities become immigration officers, a duty that has always been carried out by the federal government.

Requiring local officers to enforce immigration law has led to a dramatic erosion of the community-policing law enforcement model, which encourages police to build trust with members of the community. Developing trust is even more important for police when they work with immigrants, who often come to the United States fleeing persecution from authorities and thus arrive with a great fear of them. Laws such as Arizona's SB 1070 only increase fear and crime, as these deter immigrants from calling police. When crimes go unreported, criminals are able to roam with impunity because they know that their deeds will go unpunished and as a result, communities become less safe.

At Ayuda, we see the fears immigrants must overcome to report a crime. We see cases like Teresa's, an immigrant from El Salvador who suffered for 10 years from severe beatings and verbal abuse at the hands of her spouse. When Teresa came to our office, she confessed to being physically abused for many years by her husband, telling our team that he constantly threatened to report her to immigration authorities if she ever denounced him. It was not until he stabbed and nearly killed her that police got involved. However, fear ensured that Teresa would not even be the person who called the police; it was a neighbor who did. After surviving, Ayuda's staff helped Teresa secure a Civil Protection Order and assisted her as she cooperated in the criminal investigation against her abuser. Together, we were able to hold Teresa's abuser accountable. Because of this, Teresa now has the opportunity to lead a violence-free life.

Ayuda's committed and excellent legal and social service staff meets people like Teresa on a daily basis. We hear their cries for help and safety and their fears of authority. Ayuda helps Teresa and others like her by holding their perpetrators accountable and aiding them in securing safe places to live, medical care for their injuries, food, clothing, legal custody for their children and attain legal status in the US. We believe that all persons in our country, regardless of immigration status, deserve justice and protection from harm.

Your investment in Ayuda today could be the difference between life or death for those that suffer from abuse and desperately need an advocate that will stand with them as they seek justice, peace and safety. Your support will ensure that together, we can stand with them and build truly secure communities.

With much thanks and gratefulness,


Jaime Farrant
Executive Director

P.S. I will be speaking this coming Wednesday in a panel about current immigration issues at the Dialogue on Diversity 2011 Colloquium, which will take place from 11:00 am-4 pm at the US Capitol Visitors Center, Congressional Meeting Room North (CVC 268). This event is free and open to the public. If you are interested in attending this important discussion, register at www.dialogueondiversity.org. I look forward to seeing you there!

Source: Auda

Maurice Ashley

Rickey McCombs

Maurice Ashley became a national master in 1986 and an International Master in 1993. He earned his International Grandmaster title in 1999.

Picture Source: http://www.chessbase.com

Gash Abera Mola - Ethiopian Kirar Music

Water

"All water is recycled. All the water we have now is all the water we've every had, every drop of water has gone through some animal's kidney, or thousands of animals."

Irvine Ranch

Source: http://journalism.berkeley.edu/projects/greenla/irvine.html

Picture Source: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=201259753234088&set=pu.157337864292944&type=1&theater

Hilton Kelley

Hilton Kelley has won the prestigious Goldman Environmental Award for his work confronting refineries on pollution in the town of Port Arthur.

Chester Higgins Jr., Photographer

An outdoor series of 13 large-scale portraits from Ethiopia displayed at the NYU/Kimmel Center Windows Gallery at LaGuardia Place and West 3 rd Street. An exhibition curated by Lydie Diakhaté and organized by the Institute of African
American Affairs at New York University.

THE EXHIBITION: Portraying contemporaneity

Chester Higgins Jr. came back with remarkable images from his visits to Ethiopia (2007-2010). With his portable photo studio he traveled to different villages in the
northern and southern regions, enabling him to create intimate portraits of Dassenech, Mursi, Amhara, Tigrai, Gnangaton, Hamer, Afar people and many others.

With his very singular gaze and spiritual insights, Higgins introduces us to people of Ethiopia we are not used to seeing in the usual representation of the emblematic country. Each person portrayed becomes an icon.

The work of the photographer is highlighted by a collaboration based on a steady confidence with his subjects. In terms of aesthetics, the photos reach an exceptional level of quality, featuring tradition into a contemporary lens. But capturing beauty is not the only focus for the photographer; Higgins has a long-standing commitment within Ethiopia and its people that he is dedicated to share with the viewers.
Displayed at the Kimmel Center Windows Gallery, this series of Ethiopian portraits will engage an exceptional daily conversation with the numerous citizens and visitors of New York City within the most popular neighborhood, the West Village, in Manhattan. Thus, each portrait establishes a powerful dialogue with the viewer. Far away from her/his geographical location but closer thanks to the display, each person posing with her/his attributes questions the relationship engaged with the viewer. Showcased with delicacy and elegance, each one is a unique character. They express themselves fully echoing their direct cultural environment that will resonate with the vibrancy of New York City. Instead of being destabilized, the viewer will share a surprising complicity with the characters. Here, the difference comes to be the vehicle for awareness and enrichment.

— Lydie Diakhaté, Curator

With my camera, I challenge people to see the full breadth of our humanity. I look for dignity in the human condition. And because I believe everything exists at the pleasure of the universal spirit, I search beyond the obvious for the signature of
the spirit in all things.

— Chester Higgins Jr., Photographer

www.chesterhiggins.com

Copyrighted ® Photographs by Chester Higgins Jr. All Rights Reserved



















The work of the photographer is highlighted by a collaboration
based on a steady confidence with his subjects. In terms of
aesthetics, the photos reach an exceptional level of quality,
featuring tradition into a contemporary lens. But capturing
beauty is not the only focus for the photographer; Higgins has a
long-standing commitment within Ethiopia and its people that he
is dedicated to share with the viewers.
Displayed at the Kimmel Center Windows Gallery, this
series of Ethiopian portraits will engage an exceptional daily
conversation with the numerous citizens and visitors of New
York City within the most popular neighborhood, the West
Village, in Manhattan. Thus, each portrait establishes a powerful
dialogue with the viewer. Far away from her/his geographical
location but closer thanks to the display, each person posing
with her/his attributes questions the relationship engaged with
the viewer. Showcased with delicacy and elegance, each one
is a unique character. They express themselves fully echoing
their direct cultural environment that will resonate with the
vibrancy of New York City. Instead of being destabilized, the
viewer will share a surprising complicity with the characters.
Here, the difference comes to be the vehicle for awareness and
enrichment. — Lydie Diakhaté, Curator

With my camera, I challenge people to see the full breadth
of our humanity. I look for dignity in the human condition.
And because I believe everything exists at the pleasure of the
universal spirit, I search beyond the obvious for the signature of
the spirit in all things. — Chester Higgins Jr., Photographer
www.chesterhiggins.com
Copyrighted ® Photographs by Chester Higgins Jr. All Rights Reserved