Defining Me
This project was inspired by the notion that Black History is both a combination of the past and the present action of making history. The “Defining Me” series will portray black Staff and Students using their own words to describe and define themselves contrary to racist stereotypes.
The objective of this project is to fight against racist stereotypes and prejudices through the medium of photography and graphic design. The tumultuous history of black people in America and globally has resulted in many stereotypes that box them into definitions that were formed by racist ideologies. George Yancy, in his book, Look a White!, talks about this problem of “being known without being known”.
This project will illustrate how painful history, while still a part of that formation of the subjects, is not how they define themselves. Words have the power to bind but words also hold the key to breaking free from negativity, stereotypes and social constructs. Our hope is that this project is both illuminating and serves as a tribute to Black History Month … the past and the present.