What do people fail to understand about the lives of black Americans? Or the lives of anyone of color?
#HereIsMyAmerica – The New York Times
Future Imagemakers Lead Teacher Bayete Ross Smith is now embedded as an artist at The New York Times with Race/Related, a collaboration with the independent documentary showcase POV.
The portraits above show me in a variety of different clothing, all of it my own. On any given day, you might encounter me in one form or another.
It’s all part of a larger series I created, which also involved people of different backgrounds and genders. In every case, the facial expressions and lighting stay the same; all that changes is the subject’s clothing.
So the question is: What personal preconceptions do you, or any viewer, project onto me? Or others?…
#HereIsMyAmerica — a project we’re launching here and on Instagram — is an attempt to counter that simplistic approach.