Jah Grey

Always asking me what I do.. I document black men. You also ask me why, and I respond “it’s important” — this is important. We are important and exist even after we are no longer physically here. Took me a while to see, I believe that black men deserve to be captured for the sake of beauty and for the sake of slowly dismantling the image of toxicity we’ve been fed for too long. We deserve support and care because I truly believe we are worth that investment. I had so few positive role models growing up and I’ve always wished blackness, as a positive attribute, was celebrated more. The fear and shame of vulnerability (being hurt, asking for help or wanting to cry) makes us hide and I believe we should recommit to having larger conversations–emotional sharing with each other because it’s an important piece of healthy black masculinity, in hope that someday, not only will the outside world see black men in their full light, we’ll be able to see the light within ourselves.

Rip to my brother Jahmil 🖤

Inspiration post

Creating safe spaces for folks in your life to be open and honest about their feelings and opinions I feel is so important for healthy dynamics.
Although I feel that life is really too short to care deeply into what others think or feel about you, I do believe that there are ways to honour yourself while listening to the opinions and feelings of others even when we do not agree. I feel like a few things that I’m currently working on is listening with an open mind, and trying to put myself in their shoes, understanding diversity and recognizing that there’s so much to gain from listening to others, as well as, sharing your opinions and feelings. Not only does it allow the person to know that their feelings and opinions are values, it might actually open your eyes to another perspective we might have not come to on our own.