Jennifer Hernandez photographed Atiya Saunders in the Bronx, May 24, 2018, as part of a project on teen smoking.
“As a teen in New York struggling to quit the tenacious vice of cigarette smoking, my goal for this project is to open up dialogue and possibly make smokers think twice before lighting their next cigarette,” said Hernandez. “With this continued second-guessing, it will – I hope – eventually lead to smokers quitting for good.
“I constantly ask myself, ‘Why are cigarettes still legal?’ I’m not looking for an answer that predictably addresses greed and profit, but a reply that reminds myself that, no matter how calm a pull might make me feel, cigarettes can and will kill.”
