I AM photo project (iamphotoproject.com)

Hello friends. Over the past year, I’ve been working on a photo project to capture the identities of black men across the country. A few weeks after the verdict for the murder of Trayvon Martin, I found myself reflecting on my life experiences as a black man and the conflict between who we are versus who people think we are. A year later with the murder of Mike Brown, I find myself in the same position. Despite how we define ourselves, we are often misunderstood and misjudged. Our identifies are too often limited by our complexions, the style of our clothes, the music we listen to, the side of the law we stand on, the mood of the cops we encounter, and the history of our struggles for citizenship in our own country. Yes, we are black men, but before that we are human.

Through the release of iamphotoproject.com, I share just a snippet of how we define ourselves. Please explore the site, share with others and provide any feedback you have.

With appreciation – Tesfa