Talk:Manuel Rivera-Ortiz

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 * The irony about my photography is that making these pictures constantly reminds me of my past. But life continues without regard for my own struggles growing up. It is for this reason that today I make these pictures to lend the voice I have been given to those who like me then, are still living in poverty today."''


 * For the first 12 years of my life I never knew what it was to have anything. For much of my life we lived in a shacks with no running water, electricity, a stove, a fridge, common amenities... One of our homes had a dirt floor... In fact I never came to touch a telephone until we moved from the island to the States. We were constantly on the move in some form or another going from living in our own shack to moving in with family when things got really rough. Once we’d settle in, we’d pick up and leave to start all over again. Changing school all the time was the worse, I must have attended a half a dozen schools by the age of 12 with all the constant upheaval. I am surprised that in the end I was able to finish school with honors and on time. That was a great blessing despite all of the difficulties.