40 Years, 40 Faces

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VIRGINIA POVERTY LAW CENTER: 40 YEARS, 40 FACES

For the past 40 years, the Virginia Poverty Law Center has committed to leading and coordinating efforts to seek justice in civil legal matters for lower-income Virginians. What does the VPLC do? It is a state support center for the nine local legal aid programs in Virginia. They do policy work that impacts many Virginians, providing education, materials, and pro bono attorneys for clients.

In recognition of this 40th anniversary of VPLC, photographer Glen McClure and writer Marshall McClure traveled throughout Virginia to document individuals and families who have benefited from this work. Glen McClure has created a series of portraits that share the great tradition of social documentary photography but are also, in their own merit, great artistic achievements. Combined with interviews with each subject, they offer us a window into the lives of those Virginians who live in low-income circumstances while working to make their lives better with dignity, hope, and at times, simple acceptance.

From domestic violence survivor and immigrant Jae in Southwest Virginia to Northern Virginia native Tiffany who has been assisted with problematic payday loan issues, the VPLC continues to assist those most in need throughout the state.

This exhibition creates the opportunity for a conversation about what it means to be poor in the 21st century. The inherent integrity projected from each image asks us not only to pause and look each individual in the eye, but to carry these conversations out into the world and work to ensure that they become documents of a past no longer experienced by any citizen of Virginia or beyond.

— Jeffrey Allison, Curator

Please click on any photograph to read his/her bio.

Angel

Barbara

Brianna

Carmen

Christine

Cori

Debra

Donald

Erica

Ernie

Eunice & Moses

George

Greg

Rodney

Jae

Jenise

Joel

Jordan

Kathryn

Kathryn

Kim

Lillie

Linda

Lisette

Makayla

Missy & Loretta

Melissa

Olga & Kimberly

Patricia

Randi

Ronald

Ryan

William H.

Sherrie

Tiffany

Vicky

Wanda

William D.

Tony

Zukhra

Virginia Poverty Law Center: 40 Years, 40 Faces Committee

  • Honorary Chair
  • The Honorable Ralph S. Northam,
    Governor of Virginia
  • Honorary Committee Members
  • The Honorable Anne Holton & The Honorable Tim Kaine,
    United States Senator
  • The Honorable Mark R. Warner,
    United States Senator
  • The Honorable Mark Herring,
    Attorney General of Virginia
  • The Honorable S. Bernard Goodwyn,
    Justice, Supreme Court of Virginia
  • The Honorable Stephen R. McCullough,
    Justice, Supreme Court of Virginia
  • The Honorable Cleo E. Powell,
    Justice, Supreme Court of Virginia
  • The Honorable William C. Mims,
    Justice, Supreme Court of Virginia
  • Toni R. Ardabell,
    Chief Executive Officer,
    Bon Secours Virginia Health System
  • Leonard A. Bennett,
    Principle, Consumer Litigation Associates
  • Mark Braley,
    Legal Services Corporation of Virginia
  • Tara L. Casey,
    Director, Harry L. Carrico Center for Pro Bono & Public Service,
    University of Richmond School of Law
  • Doris Hendersen Causey,
    Past President, Virginia State Bar; Managing Attorney, Central Virginia Legal Aid Society
  • Lakshmi Challa,
    Managing Attorney, Lakshmi Law Group; Senoir Counsel, LeClairRyan
  • Traci A. Giles,
    America Bar Association State Delegate; Giles and Lambert, PC
  • Jack Harris,
    Senior Policy Advisor, Virginia Trial Lawyers Association
  • Leonard C. Heath, Jr.,
    President, Virginia State Bar
  • Kristi Cahoon Kelly,
    Kelly & Crandell
  • Stacy E. Lee,
    President, Old Dominion Bar Association; Staff Counsel, Allstate
  • Kimberly C. McLeod,
    Chair, Firmwide Pro Bono Committee, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP
  • Christopher M. Malone.
    President & Director
  • Monica T. Monday,
    Managing Partner, Gentry Locke Attorneys
  • G. Andrews Nea, Jr.,
    Of Counsel, Williams Mullen
  • Lonnie D. Nunley, III,
    Partner, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP
  • Alex Nyerges,
    Director & CEO, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
  • Wendy C. Perdue,
    President, Association of American Law Schools; Dean, University of Richmond School of Law
  • Dale Pittman,
    The Law Firm of Dale Pittman
  • M. Bryan Slaughter,
    President, Virginia Trial Lawyers Association; Partner, MichieHamlett
  • Joanna L. Suyes,
    President, Metro Richmond Women's Bar Association; Immediate Past President, Virginia Law Foundation; MercerTrigiani
  • Lori D. Thompson,
    General Counsel, LeClairRyan
  • Lucia Anna "Pia" Trigiani,
    Past President, Virginia Law Association; Immediate Past President, Virginia Law Foundation; MercerTrigiani
  • Thomas M. Wolf,
    Partner, LeClairRyan

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

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