Two Black men wearing blue suits pray, the man on the left is kneeling over a chair, the man on the right is wearing a medical face mask and holding a microphone.
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Rev. Anthony Woods, left, kneels while Rev. James E. Dunn, Sr. leads the congregation in prayer on  April 10, 2022 at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Columbia. COVID-19 protections and a shift to online ministry posed unique challenges for many historically Black churches, including Friendship Missionary, where physical touch is often central to the congregations's worship experience. 

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Rev. Anthony Woods, left, kneels while Rev. James E. Dunn, Sr. leads the congregation in prayer on  April 10, 2022 at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Columbia. COVID-19 protections and a shift to online ministry posed unique challenges for many historically Black churches, including Friendship Missionary, where physical touch is often central to the congregations's worship experience. 

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A teenage boy, wearing a straw cowboy hat, white and black rodeo shirt and black jeans, stands looking out of frame with one thumb in his pocket. He has an AirPod in his visible ear. Behind him, branches of green bushes creep into frame.
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Jermey Bryant, 17, listens to rap artist YoungBoy Never Broke Again on  June 24, 2023 while waiting to enter the St. Louis Open Black Rodeo at Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis. The event was Bryant’s third-ever time attending a rodeo.

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Jermey Bryant, 17, listens to rap artist YoungBoy Never Broke Again on  June 24, 2023 while waiting to enter the St. Louis Open Black Rodeo at Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis. The event was Bryant’s third-ever time attending a rodeo.

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Two young women lay on the ground appearing to be upside down, the woman on the right has her arms spread out in a cross position.
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Hickman freshman Allison Weng, left, and junior Batti Camper rest between performances October 11, 2019 at Hickman High School. Both girls were members of the Hickman High School color guard. The color guard and band performed before the game and during halftime.

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Hickman freshman Allison Weng, left, and junior Batti Camper rest between performances October 11, 2019 at Hickman High School. Both girls were members of the Hickman High School color guard. The color guard and band performed before the game and during halftime.

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Three children look up into a blue aquarium tank as a shark swims overhead.
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From left, Connely Zuber, 9, Tripp Zuber, 12, and Holden Basseen, 11, watch as a whitetip reef shark swims by on July 25, 2023 at the St. Louis Aquarium. The trio visited the aquarium during its Shark Week celebration, in preparation for a trip to Florida to swim with sharks later that week. 

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From left, Connely Zuber, 9, Tripp Zuber, 12, and Holden Basseen, 11, watch as a whitetip reef shark swims by on July 25, 2023 at the St. Louis Aquarium. The trio visited the aquarium during its Shark Week celebration, in preparation for a trip to Florida to swim with sharks later that week. 

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A shirtless person with nipple piercings, a butterfly sternum tattoo and dyed blue hair dances with their face toward a bright blue sky.
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Dylan Pierson dances in the sun on  June 24, 2023 during St. Louis Pride Fest in downtown St. Louis. “I think that right now is just an important time to celebrate who we are and being gay and being trans and being queer,” Pierson said. “I think it’s very crucial that we come out and we show ourselves and show that we’re not going anywhere.”

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Dylan Pierson dances in the sun on  June 24, 2023 during St. Louis Pride Fest in downtown St. Louis. “I think that right now is just an important time to celebrate who we are and being gay and being trans and being queer,” Pierson said. “I think it’s very crucial that we come out and we show ourselves and show that we’re not going anywhere.”

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Lit by a bright flash, a man lifts up the base of a pinball machine, revealing the electrical components underneath. The part he is lifting obscures everything but his left arm. Behind him are more pinball machines.
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Steve “Doc” Dachroeden pulls up the electronic underworking of a pinball machine on  June 21, 2023 at the Silver Ballroom,  a St. Louis pinball pub. Dachroeden owns the pub and performs repairs on the machines, which take regular abuse from customers and the weekly competition leagues hosted at the bar. 

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Steve “Doc” Dachroeden pulls up the electronic underworking of a pinball machine on  June 21, 2023 at the Silver Ballroom,  a St. Louis pinball pub. Dachroeden owns the pub and performs repairs on the machines, which take regular abuse from customers and the weekly competition leagues hosted at the bar. 

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An old man in a blue shirt sits in front of a set of blue curtains and a blue door, streams of light are coming through the door.
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My grandfather Joe, Christmas Day 2020. During the first year of the pandemic, every interaction we had was tinged with risk and guilt. He and my grandmother made an informal pact with my family. To them, at this stage in their lives, losing a year of seeing their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren was worse than death. So, guiltily, we risked it. A few weeks after I made this picture, my grandparents both received their vaccines. In a year full of risk and guilt, my worst fear never came to pass.

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My grandfather Joe, Christmas Day 2020. During the first year of the pandemic, every interaction we had was tinged with risk and guilt. He and my grandmother made an informal pact with my family. To them, at this stage in their lives, losing a year of seeing their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren was worse than death. So, guiltily, we risked it. A few weeks after I made this picture, my grandparents both received their vaccines. In a year full of risk and guilt, my worst fear never came to pass.

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An extreme close up of a yelling face, painted to look like an American flag.
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Jack Gietl screams while wearing American-flag themed face paint, after a U.S. Men's National Soccer Team match on June 28, 2023 at CityPark in St. Louis. 

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Jack Gietl screams while wearing American-flag themed face paint, after a U.S. Men's National Soccer Team match on June 28, 2023 at CityPark in St. Louis. 

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In the foreground an out of focus woman stands with her arms in the air, in the background a team of women cheer for her.
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The University of Alabama gymnastics team celebrates after a teammate lands a tumbling pattern on Feb. 1, 2019 at the Hearnes Center in Columbia, Mo. Alabama won the meet against the University of Missouri.

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The University of Alabama gymnastics team celebrates after a teammate lands a tumbling pattern on Feb. 1, 2019 at the Hearnes Center in Columbia, Mo. Alabama won the meet against the University of Missouri.

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A White woman with short cropped blonde hair stands in a dark office. The only light, which falls onto her face and white uniform, is coming from a tall vertical window in front of her.
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Belleville Fire Chief Stephanie Mills is photographed on Aug. 24, 2023, at Belleville Fire Department Station 4. Mills is the first female fire chief of Belleville in its 209-year history.

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Belleville Fire Chief Stephanie Mills is photographed on Aug. 24, 2023, at Belleville Fire Department Station 4. Mills is the first female fire chief of Belleville in its 209-year history.

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A girl's eye is large on a phone sitting on a chair.
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My friend Dasha Vilchinskaia gets a closer look at me during a WhatsApp video call on March 27, 2020. Vilchinskaia and I met in Denmark — she was the international program’s sole student from Russia. In the two months we were both in Europe, we became quite close. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, I was forced home to Missouri while she stayed in Denmark. I miss her dearly.

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My friend Dasha Vilchinskaia gets a closer look at me during a WhatsApp video call on March 27, 2020. Vilchinskaia and I met in Denmark — she was the international program’s sole student from Russia. In the two months we were both in Europe, we became quite close. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, I was forced home to Missouri while she stayed in Denmark. I miss her dearly.

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In a dark room a man's face is projected on a screen, throughout the rest of the room a few men sit among mostly-empty chairs.
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People watch a projection of Governor Mike Parson as he gives the State of the State address, Jan. 27, 2021, in the rotunda of the Capitol in Jefferson City, Mo. Hours before his speech, Parson was stopped from giving his address inside the House of Representatives, fueling an ongoing feud between him and fellow Republican Speaker of the House Rob Vescovo. In a letter later sent to lawmakers, Parson called the decision to move his speech to the Senate a “purposeful and disgusting scheme to embarrass” him by House leadership.

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People watch a projection of Governor Mike Parson as he gives the State of the State address, Jan. 27, 2021, in the rotunda of the Capitol in Jefferson City, Mo. Hours before his speech, Parson was stopped from giving his address inside the House of Representatives, fueling an ongoing feud between him and fellow Republican Speaker of the House Rob Vescovo. In a letter later sent to lawmakers, Parson called the decision to move his speech to the Senate a “purposeful and disgusting scheme to embarrass” him by House leadership.

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Amidst a crowd of people with their fists in the air, two young Black women embrace. Both are crying.
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Cheyenne Green, left, hugs Ohun Ashe on  Aug. 9, 2023, during a memorial commemorating the ninth anniversary of Michael Brown Jr.’s killing by a White police officer outside of Canfield Apartments in Ferguson, Mo. Community members say little has changed to stop police shootings of Black people since Brown's death and they want lawmakers to make stronger laws against police officers who kill people during incidents.

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Cheyenne Green, left, hugs Ohun Ashe on  Aug. 9, 2023, during a memorial commemorating the ninth anniversary of Michael Brown Jr.’s killing by a White police officer outside of Canfield Apartments in Ferguson, Mo. Community members say little has changed to stop police shootings of Black people since Brown's death and they want lawmakers to make stronger laws against police officers who kill people during incidents.

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A woman with pinkish hair and a blue dress sits on a floral-patterned couch.
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Kara Fitzgerald, photographed on June 26, 2023 at her home in the Tower Grove East neighborhood of St. Louis. Prior to moving into her new apartment, Fitzgerald had lived at a women's shelter for six months, where she said she faced frequent discrimination from staff and safety concerns because she is transgender. 

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Kara Fitzgerald, photographed on June 26, 2023 at her home in the Tower Grove East neighborhood of St. Louis. Prior to moving into her new apartment, Fitzgerald had lived at a women's shelter for six months, where she said she faced frequent discrimination from staff and safety concerns because she is transgender. 

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Amidst a deep blue sky, a line of people ride in the seats of a giant swing. They are almost entirely in shadow, with only the left sides of their faces visible from the warm light of a setting sun.
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Attendees ride the giant “Yoyo” swing set up for the Missouri State Fair on  Aug. 16, 2023, in Sedalia, Mo. The fair is an annual tradition in Sedalia, bringing thousands of people to the small mid-Missouri city. 

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Attendees ride the giant “Yoyo” swing set up for the Missouri State Fair on  Aug. 16, 2023, in Sedalia, Mo. The fair is an annual tradition in Sedalia, bringing thousands of people to the small mid-Missouri city. 

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A young boy carries a white soap box derby cover out of a brightly lit hallway and into a darkly lit one. The boy's upper body and face are hidden behind the cover, but his legs are visible as he walks.
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Javon Greenwood Jr. carries the cover of his soap box car to an art room on June 9, 2023 at the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation building in East St. Louis. Given the opportunity by the JJK, Greenwood was constructing his first-ever boxcar. He would go on to place third in the city's annual derby. 

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Javon Greenwood Jr. carries the cover of his soap box car to an art room on June 9, 2023 at the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation building in East St. Louis. Given the opportunity by the JJK, Greenwood was constructing his first-ever boxcar. He would go on to place third in the city's annual derby. 

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To the right, a White woman with long blonde hair leans down to kiss a young boy on the cheek. In the foreground and out of focus, a man with his back to the camera lights a young girl up into his arms.
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Anna Allaria, right, kisses her son Collin, 8, goodbye as he heads off to his first day of third grade, while Dave Allaria, left, picks up their daughter Vivian, 3, on  Aug. 16, 2023, at Albert Cassens Elementary in Edwardsville, Ill. The family was one of many dropping children off that morning, but enrollment at Albert Cassens has been on the decline since the COVID-19 pandemic, reflecting a trend throughout Illinois.

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Anna Allaria, right, kisses her son Collin, 8, goodbye as he heads off to his first day of third grade, while Dave Allaria, left, picks up their daughter Vivian, 3, on  Aug. 16, 2023, at Albert Cassens Elementary in Edwardsville, Ill. The family was one of many dropping children off that morning, but enrollment at Albert Cassens has been on the decline since the COVID-19 pandemic, reflecting a trend throughout Illinois.

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A young boy holds a cat up above his head. They are outside, on a foggy morning.
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Bowen Cox, 6, and Pumpkin the cat on the morning of Sept. 24, 2020 at the Cox’s family home in Marshfield, Mo.

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Bowen Cox, 6, and Pumpkin the cat on the morning of Sept. 24, 2020 at the Cox’s family home in Marshfield, Mo.

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© 2023 Tristen Rouse | 417.631.3200 | tristenrousephoto@gmail.com

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