What does it mean to be black? Is it a state of mind, style of dress, a style of speech or simply the color of one’s skin? Are these even the right questions to ask? Are black people truly in control of their image or have we simply replaced old stereotypes (the happy singing and dancing Negro) of the past with new ones (angry thug/pimp/rapper) in the name of fame and wealth? What defines a sell-out/Uncle Tom? Is it simply dating outside of your race, or talking “white”, or engaging in “white” activities? These are questions I’ve been asking myself since middle school.

From the first day that I picked up a skateboard at age 12, I was considered less than black and was treated as an outcast by those in my neighborhood and by my peers at school. I was told that I didn’t talk “black” or dress “black” and that skateboarding was a “white boy” sport. I had white friends as well as black friends but still I wasn’t treated as an equal in the Black community. Childhood friends who were beginning to align themselves with neighborhood gangs and drug dealers wanted nothing to do with me; had I strayed that far from my “roots?” What were my “roots” for that matter? After all, I was barely a teenager; self-identity was new to me, and still very much under construction.

For the past four years, the primary focus of my work has been the examination of American black identity in the 21st Century. I have juxtaposed photo-realist rendered images of blacks during times of great struggle and perseverance, with cartoons, in order to represent the duality of Black identity. The former embodies a strong sense of community that harkens back to the black social movements of the 1960s and 1970s, while the latter represents a caricature-like aspect of contemporary black identity, as defined by various media outlets.

I feel it is important for blacks to become accountable for their part in helping to shape the images that are portrayed in mainstream American culture. While my work is largely about black identity, the issues that I address are universal. We all strive to define ourselves as more than just our race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion. I hope that my work will push individuals to defy definition by origination, as well help change modern stereotypical perspectives that surround black culture.