HairStory
/ Black / Change / Hope // “We believe every Black child is beautiful, strong, and talented. Give us the right conditions to grow, We will flourish, We will give back the same to others and to future generations.”
The greatest strength I see with photography is the ability to stand back from the limelight and create images that make visible the stories that people want to tell, especially to those people whose stories need to be told - those people who have stories that make us more compassionate and caring towards one another, that make us realize that together we can make this world a better place to live for everyone.
That is what Richard, Smyrna, and Kishaun have. They are the leaders of a group called HairStory, who aim to create a better world for Black young people.
But like I said, stand back and stay silent, let them talk for themselves, they are much more capable than I to do so:
“…We have a responsibility to make this stop. To show every Black child that they are not less than. That they are beautiful and strong and talented and loved. That they belong and have a right to live in a safe place where they don’t have to watch their back all the time because the law, and the systems of government, the legislations, the media, and the people that create and uphold them also understand this.
We have a responsibility as Black young people to create this for ourselves. Not to take this away from anyone else, but to work together to have the same rights.
We hope that one day, we won’t have to do this. We can walk away because this responsibility is everywhere and with everyone. That every Black child grows up in a safe environment and knows that they have the same rights and same treatment as every other human being. That they know their worth.
Until then, we are the change.”
- Richard Marcano, Smyrna Wright, Kishaun Lalor