My parents both grew up in the suburbs of Scranton, Pennsylvania. My grandparents worked in the area’s coal mines and were veterans of World War II. My parents moved away from the area after getting married and eventually settled in suburban New Jersey, where I grew up. Almost all of my relatives remained in the Scranton area, and my childhood was filled with countless trips there for holidays, birthday parties, and cookouts. As a child I picked up on the many differences between Scranton and where I grew up. My brothers and I would often observe how Scranton seemed stuck in a different era of time. Many of my relatives have now passed away and cousins have moved out of the area, and I’ve had fewer and fewer reasons to return to Scranton. In the past few years, I have become a father, turned 40, and developed a chronic illness. It has been during this time of deep self-reflection about life that I decided to turn my camera lens towards Scranton, the city that my parents migrated away from, in the hopes that it will reveal some deeper truth about where I come from. Scranton today is still much the same as it was during my childhood in the 1980’s. The city fell on hard times during the second half of the 20th century like so many other industrial cities of the Rust Belt. The coal mines are long closed, factory jobs have moved overseas, and many people are struggling economically. But Scranton is a proud city full of proud people. As I roam the city’s streets I see where my parents learned their strong work ethic. In the American flags on front porches and lampposts, I see where my parents developed their patriotism. In the war memorials and banners, I see where they learned about sacrifice. In the crosses and Virgin Mary statues on front lawns, I see where their faith took hold. Over the past two decades I have taken photographs in cities around the United States, including in places I have called home, but this is the first subject material that I feel an intense personal connection to. Many of the themes that have been present throughout my photography, such as spirituality and patriotism, seem to have their roots in this city that I spent so much time in as a child.