Margie's son, Jamont, 9, watches from his perch on a bunk bed as his mother chooses a dress for her job-training class. In the United States an alarming number of children are homeless. Olive Branch Mission, Chicago. 1999

Donna Ferrato took this photograph, Margie's son, Jamont, in Chicago. You can see the textures of the clothing and bedding; the way they're worn and used. I imagine the photographer quietly positioning herself in the room, trying to capture the moment without disrupting it. What was she thinking as she framed this shot? Did she feel like an intruder? I'm wondering if she felt a responsibility to show the world this scene, to bear witness to the lives of Margie and Jamont? The choice of black and white flattens the scene and somehow renders everything as the same texture. The photograph becomes a statement about inequality, about the relationship between the personal and political. It makes me think about the power of photography to document and advocate, and how each photographer contributes to a wider conversation about the world we live in.