“In the wake of the political and social unrest and all the injustices, we just felt like now is the time to use our voices. This album is called “All One Tribe” and it’s a collection of 24 Black artists and musicians who create music in the Children and Family genre. My song is called “Beautiful Brown Babies.” We felt there was a lack of representation of Black artists in children’s music. We want to show the world, but especially African-American children, that they are worthy, they are beautiful. All the songs on the album represent Black children in uplifting ways.
I know growing up as an African-American child there were so many times in my life where I just did not feel good about myself. I saw how we were portrayed, and you just have this feeling of “less than.” And that’s a lie. I’m not internalizing that, and I don’t want anybody wearing that. We’re not embracing that. You are beautiful. Your hair is exactly the way God made it. You don’t have to conform for anybody.
I was teaching at a pre-school in Long Beach and I had this book about crayons. It was really a book about unity. And in the story, the red crayons got mad at the yellow crayons. All the colors went off with their own separate groups but eventually came together. All of a sudden the kids yelled, “I’m the red crayon! I’m the blue crayon!” There were two African American girls in this classroom. The dark complexioned girl came up to me and said “I’m gonna be the pink crayon.” Another girl came up to her and whispered, “You can be the black crayon.” The little girl got so upset. It bothered me because there’s such a negative connotation with just the color black. I said, “You know, black is beautiful. Look, your jacket is black, my hair is black.” Everyone went around the classroom and named one thing that was black that was good.
Those kinds of instances really compel me to just be a voice for African American children. They need to understand they are here, and they are worthy. So this song is my love song to Black children and to all children. I just feel there is a very strong need. I wanna represent my culture.”
Kym - 48 (at interview) - Children’s singer-songwriter, mother of 2
I ask you, “why?”
I watched the video. I saw the life of George Floyd fade away in the most inhumane and frustrating way imaginable. I am African-American. I am human. It hurt. The overall condition of our country hurt my heart in May of 2020. I have been a photographer for over a decade and I asked God what I could do to positively contribute to society and respond to the current chapter of our country’s racial injustices. After two days of thought and prayer, I moved forward with The Black Portraits.
The Black Portraits is a nonprofit, ongoing portrait photography project focused on one simple goal: sharing the positive images, thoughts, stories and dreams of members of the Black community in Los Angeles, CA (and hopefully, eventually beyond).
The project poses and aims to answer the question: why do we have to wait until a shocking national tragedy to hear about the lives and accomplishments of our Black friends, neighbors, or those we do not know? We are alive and contributing right now.
I look forward to photographing more, receiving more, and posting many more images and stories of our infinitely valuable Black community. The Black Portraits currently resides on the Instagram and Facebook social media platforms.
Links:
Instagram - www.instagram.com/theblackportraits/
Facebook - www.facebook.com/theblackportraits.la/
On this site, mallurypatrick.com, I will continue to build a gallery of images containing all the participants with a link to their content on either Instagram or Facebook.
Thanks and I hope you enjoy The Black Portraits.
[Click on an image below to be taken to a social media page containing the story or quote of the participant.]
