'#Blackmendream': Showcasing A Different Side Of Black Manhood
Nine men sit turned away from the camera; their faces are never shown. Many are shirtless or naked. They answer questions like: When did you become a black man? Do you cry? How were you raised to deal with your emotions?
This short film, called #Blackmendream, is the latest piece by Philadelphia-based multidisciplinary artist Shikeith Cathey. His work centers around the social, cultural and political misconceptions about black men in America, and the new film explores the emotional experience of black men, born out of those misconceptions.
The men seem both vulnerable and powerful as they thoughtfully respond to these basic, but piercing, questions. To the viewer, there's a feeling that you're eavesdropping on a therapy session.
"That's the response that I would get after wrapping the interview," Shikeith, who goes by his first name, tells NPR's Arun Rath. "The participants, the men, they would say, 'I haven't been able to express like this in so long and it feels like a weight was lifted off of my shoulder.' "
He says most of the interview subjects were strangers, but it wasn't hard to get them to participate.
"Honestly, I just asked — and that was the point. These questions, as simple as they are ... they aren't discussed. I couldn't remember a time when someone asked me, 'How do you feel?' " he says.
"I think it's just assumed that I'm angry as a black man. It's assumed that I don't possess these feelings that are part of my humanity."
Shikeith does all of his work in black and white and says the aesthetic composition of this piece — the nudity, the fact that we never see the faces of the subjects — is all symbolic.
"I wanted to expose what it was like to be dressed in assumptions, before even opening your mouth to say hello."
He adds, "My work is a reflection of that internal battle all black men have to face when you're not necessarily seeing things in black and white, but rather in gray."
This project has gained a lot of attention, as it adds to conversations about race and police use of deadly force. But Shikeith says the timing is mere coincidence.
"I don't look at what's happening now as situational," he says. "It's not trendy; it's not something that just began. It's something that has been ongoing in this country for a very long time."
The inspiration for #Blackmendream actually came two years ago, Shikeith says: "I posted a status on Facebook that said, 'What do black men run from?' "
He was expecting answers that revolved around misconceptions of black manhood. But instead, he got a lot of negative stereotypes — mostly from African-American men and women.
"They were writing, 'Black men run from the police, black men run from love, black men run from child support.' "
Disappointed, he set out to create a project that would change that conversation and showcase an emotional side of black masculinity.
He got a residency at Bunker Projects in Pittsburgh, supported by a grant from The Advancing Black Arts in Pittsburgh program — a partnership of The Pittsburgh Foundation and The Heinz Endowments. Going forward, he hopes the film and the hashtag will add to a more complex discourse around black manhood.
"We can be different. We can be ourselves. We can respect individuality within our own community. And as we project that, I think the community at large will understand more what it exactly is to be a black man. Overall there'll be a healing."
Watch the film here.
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Transcript
ARUN RATH, HOST:
We turn now from profiling to a project that aims to break down the misconceptions about black men in America. It's a short film called hash tag #Blackmendream.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "#BLACKMENDREAM")
SHIKEITH CATHEY: When did you become a black man?
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #1: The day I realized I need to stand up for myself.
RATH: In the film, nine men sit and answer basic yet piercing questions, like, what makes you sad?
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "#BLACKMENDREAM")
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #2: My mom refusing to accept me despite her brother being gay and her other son being gay. That makes me sad. The idea of having to give her up - that makes me sad.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #3: Oh, wow. What makes me sad? Being alone or feeling alone or feeling like there's no one that is in this world that really, truly cares.
RATH: There are about a dozen more questions - do you cry? How are you perceived other black men? What's a nightmare you remember? A 25-year-old Philadelphia-based artist named Shikeith Cathey - he just goes by Shikeith - is the man behind it. All of his work - photography, sculpture, art installations - focuses on the perceptions of black men in America. You might think the film was made in response to the current debate around police use of deadly force, but Shikeith says the inspiration actually came two years ago.
CATHEY: I posted a status on Facebook that said what do black men run from?
RATH: He was expecting answers that revolved around misconceptions of black manhood. Instead, he got a lot of negative stereotypes...
CATHEY: ...Mostly from African-American men and women. They were writing black men run from the police. Black men run from love. Black men run from child support.
RATH: Shikeith set out to develop a project that would showcase a different side of black manhood. The film hash tag #Blackmendream was born out of that. It's shot in black and white. All nine of the subjects are turned away from the camera. We never see their faces. Many are shirtless or naked.
CATHEY: I wanted to expose what it is like to be dressed in assumptions before even opening your mouth to say hello.
RATH: Shikeith says most of the men were strangers.
CATHEY: It was almost like a therapy session. The men - they would say, you know, I haven't been able to express like this in so long, and it feels like a weight was lifted off of my shoulder.
RATH: Wow. And it is that old Freudian analysis technique where the person has their back to the analyst.
CATHEY: Yeah, turn your back. Yeah.
RATH: To get to that point, though, I mean, you had to have established some deep trust with these men. How did you get there? How did you get them to go along it?
CATHEY: Honestly, I just asked, you know, and that was the point. These questions, as simple as they are - do you cry, what makes you happy, what makes you sad? - they aren't discussed.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "#BLACKMENDREAM")
CATHEY: What about your father talking to you about expressing your emotions, and when?
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #4: Nothing and never.
CATHEY: I couldn't remember a time when someone asked me, you know, how do you feel? And I think it's just assumed that I'm - you know, I'm angry, as a black man. It' assumed that, you know, I don't possess these feelings that are a part of my humanity.
RATH: You feature a quote from the great Ralph Ellison novel "Invisible man." And obviously that's about being a black man in America and having that kind of invisibility he talks about. And it's just amazing in this film that by almost taking these guys' identities away, by taking their faces from us, you really reveal them.
CATHEY: Exactly. Growing up, I was ostracized from other black boys who felt I didn't fit into their ideal images of black manhood. My work is a reflection of that internal battle all black men have to face when you're not necessarily seeing things in black and white, but rather in gray. You know, like Ralph Ellison, I totally stressed the importance of projecting more individual voices and differences in the black male community.
RATH: So you've been working on this film for years, but it's coming out at a time with, you know, these police killings of black men in Ferguson and Staten Island. It just seems particularly well-timed in a poignant way.
CATHEY: The timingness of the work that I'm creating - it's all mere coincidence, you know. But I don't look at what's happening now as situational. You know what I mean? It's not trendy. It's not something that just began. It's something that has been ongoing in this country for a very long time.
RATH: Shikeith, where do you want the conversation to go from here?
CATHEY: I really want it to go towards just focusing on better engagement within the black community, especially amongst black men. We can be different. We can be ourselves. We can respect individuality within our community. As we project that, I think the community at large will understand more what it exactly is to be a black man. Overall, there will be a healing.
RATH: Shikeith is a multidisciplinary artist based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His film is called hash tag #Blackmendream. We'll have a link on our website, npr.org. Shikeith, good speaking with you. Thanks very much.
CATHEY: Thank you so much for having me.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "#BLACKMENDREAM")
CATHEY: Do you cry?
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #5: Yes, often. (Laughter). Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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