Lashonia Thompson-El and husband Sean soak in the sun coming through their bedroom window one Sunday afternoon. Both Lashonia and Sean have careers in violence prevention in DC where they work to mitigate conflicts on the street that have the potential to turn deadly. They deeply value their days off and spend their weekends decompressing with each other from their stressful jobs.

Lights from the Christmas tree are seen reflected on an old portrait of my mother from her wedding day on the night of Dec 15, 2020. This past holiday season, I spent lots of time at home exploring and studying the way light moves through my house.

Husband and wife, Lashonia and Sean Thompson-El jump rope together in the midday, summertime heat in the backyard of their home in Southeast DC. Both Lashonia and Sean are convicted murderers and prominent activists in the DC restorative justice movement. The couple has been married for five years after first connecting through their work in criminal justice reform.