back when I had a head full of hair + glasses thick enough to see the moon, i can still vividly remember my nine year old self asking my pop
“why aren’t there any black children in my schoolbooks?”
often times I noticed that white was the choice of color for representing success, positivity, + wealth.
on the other hand, black was the choice of color for representing failure, negativity, + poverty.
i couldn’t make sense of this correlation in my small nine year old brain but even as a kid this is something I was able to pick up on.
i always felt like minorities, especially my fellow african americans were often misrepresented as a whole into being something we weren't. it seemed as if we weren't playing sports, the only visuals i saw of blacks was either gangsters, rappers or drug dealers.
with an entrepreneurial mother, electrical engineer father + lawyer step mother all actively involved in my life i knew that there were other life alternatives than what media was showing me + my peers.
being aware of all this gave me a sense of responsibility to take every chance i have to uplift + highlight the African americans/minorities. that's my main goal while building catalog.
every time my index finger presses the shutter, every time i lift my camera towards my eye, i feel a duty to capture beauty, success, power, wealth, + most importantly the truth; not the misrepresentations.
my mother took to me countless museums while growing up + always exposed me to culture, new experiences + new perspectives.
in turn, i make sure i give my interpretation in my own art + i will use my photos to do for you, like my mother has done for me.
each photo will show a new experience, new perspective, or a new culture.
it may not be much now, but when it's all said + done, i want people to look back at my catalog of work as a whole + use it as a catalog of black excellence.
i want those that are seeking inspiration, uplifting or mental nourishment to come + feel replenished.
this is why i shoot.