Jordan Tovin 2025 Commended
Brad and Reece — Brad and Reece pose for a portrait in their apartment living room on May 6, 2025, in Shaw, Washington, D.C.
Watching Youtube — (left to right) Nyles, Braylen, and Billie watch Youtube in their bedroom on January 25, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
Cooking Onions - Reece cooks onions in her kitchen on January 25, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
1330 Apartments is located on the corner of 7th and O St., at the heart of the Shaw neighborhood in Washington, D.C., as seen on February 17, 2025.
Drugs too Small — Brad calls his dealer after thinking the balls of K2, a form of synthetic marijuana, he bought seemed too small on April 8, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
Billie's Apple — Billie eats an apple in the hall while playing with her brother Nyles on February 21, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
Reece with Brent — After drinking all afternoon, Reece passes out on the living room couch while feeding her youngest child Brent on May 5, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
Brad's Scars — Brad poses for a portrait in his living room on May 6, 2025, in Washington, D.C. On several occasions, Reece has stabbed Brad during arguments. "This one is when she got me with a beer bottle," Brad told me.
Nyles Upset — Nyles cries on his father's shoulder after getting upset for not being able to hold his younger brother, Brent, in their apartment on January 26, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
Drug Test — Jabari, Billie, and Braylen wait for their mother before heading to Jamari's drug test on October 27, 2023, so he can apply for a job at the DCA airport in Washington, D.C.
Stealing at Giant — Nyles waits while his father Brad convinces a Giant employee that eggs and cheese are covered by his food stamps before going back home for Easter dinner on April 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C. After convincing the employee, Brad was successful in stealing both.
Brad overlooks his neighborhood from his apartment on P and 7th St. on December 1, 2023, in Washington, DC.
About the work
A Shaw Diary is a project meant to highlight the experience of one family, living in subsidized housing, navigating the indeterminate future of their neighborhood consumed by the effects of gentrification. Only ten blocks away from the White House, the historic Shaw neighborhood once stood as the cultural hub of Washington, D.C. Yet, today, much of that same community that gave D.C. its identity are those being pushed to the city's periphery. Meanwhile, their homes, histories, and futures are now threatened by the forces of redevelopment and displacement.
While the impact of gentrification reverberates across Shaw, this project seeks to explore how one multigenerational family stands as a mirror to the city’s shifting landscape. Rooted in the neighborhood for decades, their lives trace a story of endurance: of holding memory against demolition, of sustaining community against erasure. Their experience is not singular, but symbolic—echoing countless others who remain, fighting to preserve what is still theirs even as the ground shifts beneath them.
As Reece, the mother, put it, “We’re an average family trying to live through this whole situation, and we still try to be fly. We do. We still try to make sure we have our Uggs, our Jordans, and our North Faces on, but that shit hard… That shit hard.”
About the Photographer
Jordan Tovin is a documentary photojournalist (b. 2004, Atlanta, GA) currently based in Washington, D.C., where he is pursuing a BFA in photojournalism at the Corcoran School of Arts and Design at George Washington University. His work focuses on everyday experiences that reveal the dynamic and nuanced intersection of history, community, and culture through long-term visual narratives. With an intimate and respectful approach, Jordan seeks to give these moments the attention and dignity they deserve.