DALLAS — Families across the country have been positively impacted by photographer, Jermaine Horton’s work – photos with a deeper meaning.
The very special photoshoots to highlight self-esteem and confidence in children who have faced different challenges in their lives.
His trip to North Texas was no different.
"We want to empower and restore the confidence of our youth,” Horton said.
For Horton, that power rests in the click of a button.
“I believe imagery is one of the most powerful tools we have because it just leaves an imprint on you,” he said.
The Illinois based photographer travels the country with his non-profit “The Art of Confidence Project.”
“It’s literally about empowering and encouraging any child that feels that they have been discriminated against or if they have deformities.
He wants to help youth find and restore their self-esteem through imagery, recently making a stop in North Texas.
“I see these stories and I always say to myself, I wish I could help these children,” Horton said.
He’s referring to stories about kids being bullied at school, like A’mya Moon, a Plano student battling a rare form of cancer who had her wig snatched off while at school.
We highlighted her photoshoot with his organization on WFAA last year.
Recently Horton was back in North Texas for a different reason.
Another student – 11-year-old Maddox, a child placed in in-school suspension in Troy ISD at least ten times because of a braided top-knot hairstyle. We shared his story in our Rooted series earlier this year.
“The goal is when we get here to these shoots is we want to empower them, but we want to take them back to the original part of where the thing happened,” Horton said. “Whether it was discrimination or whether it was through the pain and hurt that they were feeling or not feeling like they fit in.”
You can find out more information about Horton’s upcoming projects and learn more about “The Art of Confidence Project” here.