Omarion
Portrait with Nick Collura
Description: A young man on a phone call sits at a work desk in a high rise, sunlit office. He wears a suit and is surrounded by superbowl trophies in glass cases. The cases also contain Chicago bears helmets and footballs.
Portrait with Zachary Maxwell Stertz
“I’m confident. I’m intelligent. I’m creative. My mama knows that. I’m strong mentally. I got skills. I love being physical, doing push-ups, going to the gym, and playing sports. I could actually be somebody. And I’m capable of it. I don’t care what nobody tell me. I’m going to be great. And remember me: Omarion Hayes, you know, genius.
Violence that I’ve seen has influenced me. Mentally, I feel like that’s something I should never, ever have to deal with or nobody else that was my age or younger. You know, I don’t want to see it. As a little kid, about when I was like six, me and my brother, there was this one day we was coming home from school. When we got off the daycare van, we went to the park. A couple hours later, we was headed back, and it was a shootout. I was scared. I wasn’t ready for that moment. I was good, but I was scared. I can never forget it.
I know if guns were never invented, this life would be a better place. It’ll probably still be violent but, you know, less. When you experience or you see violence, it kind of gets in the way. You’re not thinking straight. Like, you don’t know what to do. You basically can’t focus. So you’re thinking about - like, say if you’re in health class and you’re on, like, a subject about police or something, and just the other day in your neighborhood, police was there running through somebody’s house, raiding it, that will really mess you up, you know?
What stands out to me about my life is the change I made. I got stronger mentally. I set goals for myself. Like, I know that if sports don’t work, I got backup plans that I could actually do and I’m interested in - like, being a floor installer or a plumber, something like that. They get money. I know I could do that. I know I have support. They would be happy for me. I don’t look towards nobody but my mom. That’s who was there for me my whole life, you know? It’s hard to raise boys. She make me happy. She the reason why I want to do what I want to do. I ain’t doing it to better myself, make a name. I want money - not the fame. As long as my mama happy, we good.
I want to have a family, be married, probably have like two kids, and just let my kids live a fantasy life. They’re going to have an education. But they going to get disciplined. They going to get what they want if they deserve it. I wouldn’t let my kids think life’s just easy. I won’t let them get everything to the point where they spoiled or when they feel like they won’t have to get it on they own, because I want to be there for life.
Growing up, I’ve been through a lot - good and bad. I just know life ain’t sweet. I got to prepare, using my time wise. I got me a little bank account, a savings account. I’ll touch that when I hit the ground - probably start off with an apartment. Having money and being good to take care of my family is important to me. Having a legacy for my children. That’s if I pass through, so I’m going to stay on my vitamins and be healthy, for real. I just want to leave a mark on this world, a positive one. I know that would be an important part of their life. I feel like if they need anything... I want to leave a legacy for junior to take on for real.”
Milwaukee, 2019