A Mother “My kids’ fathers aren’t present at all, not one of them,” says Jasmin Vega. “It’s sad to know that two of them have the opportunity to be there and they’re not, and the one that was there, got killed.” Zy’Rah Hernandez-Ruffin was 8 months old when her father was killed in a shooting. She never got to know him, yet her mother, Vega, goes the extra mile to make him present in her life in whatever way she can, through stories and stuffed animals. As a single mother, her day-to-day life can be hectic, but Vega is dedicated to making sure her children grow up to be successful, and a good educational environment is at the forefront. Jasmin and her daughter, Za’Ryah Hernandez-Ruffin, 11, visit the gravesite of Za’Ryah’s father at Riverside Cemetery in Rochester, N.Y., on Oct. 23, 2022. DeaVoghn Hernandez-Ruffin was killed on Father’s Day, on June 18, 2012. The pair visited DeaVoghn’s grave to mark Za’Ryah’s 11th birthday. “It just hurts,” says Vega. “I know what it was like not to have my father around for a period of my life. Like he was active, very active. But then he went to prison for 10 years and I yearned for him. Like I literally yearn for him. So, to have him and lose him. That hurts but I knew I was getting him back but to know that my daughter doesn’t even remember a hug or kiss anything from him that bothers me, and it bothers her so badly.”Vega gets a tour of Rochester Prep before committing to sending Za’Ryah and Jaheem to the school. Jasmin has raised her kids in Rochester but moved out of the city 3 years ago to the town of Fairport as she says she was fed up with her children’s experiences with the Rochester City School District schools. “We could get a better experience with schooling instead of [me] having to show up at the school every day because of violence,” says Vega, referring to the many fights occurring at the schools. They eventually moved back due to the high cost of living in Fairport, and she saw charter schools as a better opportunity for her children.Zy’Rah plays in her bedroom with her younger brother, Jaheem in her bedroom. “They’re growing every day,” says Vega. “I try to keep them busy. When they are bored, they start fighting. So, I gotta keep them busy. We don’t do boredom in our house. We can’t because it’s just time for them to be able to fight or pick at each other.”Vega puts the finishing touches on Za’Ryah’s hair before one of her first days at her new school, Rochester Prep, a charter school in Rochester. In their own words, the administration of the Uncommon Schools, the parent company of Rochester Prep, sees their vision for students as: “In school and upon graduation, students will be respectful and responsible, understanding that through their efforts, they will achieve, succeed and give back to their community.”Za’Ryah dances with Vega as she starts to cook dinner for her three children at home. “I want them to be the greatest them they can be,” Vega said of her children. “Whoever they find out to be, I want them to find themselves and I want them to apply themselves.”Za’Ryah practices braiding hair while Vega finishes the braids on her friend, Stephanie, in her at-home salon. Vega used to work in a salon shop with other hair stylists but moved her business to her home to be around her children, Jamarion, 15, Za’Ryah, 11, and Jaheem, 8, more. According to Vega, Za’Ryah has been wanting to start braiding hair like her.Vega reads a bedtime story to Zy’Rah on a school night. Zy’Rah’s bear is a custom-made bear from the Build-A-Bear Workshop, that has a voice recording of her late father inside that she can listen to. “It’s so hard,” says Vega. “She just tells me like Mommy, ‘I wish my dad didn’t die. I wish he could read me a book, mommy. I wish he could tuck me in,’ you know, that stuff hurts, like it’s hard.”In the early morning hours, Vega pets her dog, Shego, before falling asleep around 4:30AM, to wake up again at 6:00AM to drive her children to school. With a busy schedule as a single mother, Jasmin often works late into the night braiding her client’s hair and has very little time for herself. “It’s like we’re in a world full of green lights,” says Vega. “None of them turn red. So, I’m basically always go, go, go, go, go. I never get a chance to stop.”
Last Updated: April 20, 2024 by ritnppa
2023 Honorable Mention: Photo Story
Honorable Mention: Vincent Alban
“My kids’ fathers aren’t present at all, not one of them,” says Jasmin Vega. “It’s sad to know that two of them have the opportunity to be there and they’re not, and the one that was there, got killed.” Zy’Rah Hernandez-Ruffin was 8 months old when her father was killed in a shooting. She never got to know him, yet her mother, Vega, goes the extra mile to make him present in her life in whatever way she can, through stories and stuffed animals. As a single mother, her day-to-day life can be hectic, but Vega is dedicated to making sure her children grow up to be successful, and a good educational environment is at the forefront. Jasmin and her daughter, Za’Ryah Hernandez-Ruffin, 11, visit the gravesite of Za’Ryah’s father at Riverside Cemetery in Rochester, N.Y., on Oct. 23, 2022. DeaVoghn Hernandez-Ruffin was killed on Father’s Day, on June 18, 2012. The pair visited DeaVoghn’s grave to mark Za’Ryah’s 11th birthday. “It just hurts,” says Vega. “I know what it was like not to have my father around for a period of my life. Like he was active, very active. But then he went to prison for 10 years and I yearned for him. Like I literally yearn for him. So, to have him and lose him. That hurts but I knew I was getting him back but to know that my daughter doesn’t even remember a hug or kiss anything from him that bothers me, and it bothers her so badly.”
Category: 2023 What We Do, Contests Tags: Vincent Alban