Taneque, 29, East New York.
“BHM makes me think about my heritage and Martin Luther King.”
Denzel, 19, BedStuy.
“BHM takes me down memory lane, I think about what people went through, how far we’ve come and new opportunities, but also I think about how much more needs to be done.”
Ayo, 23, Harlem.
“BHM is very important month, we need to enlighten youth about culture and the past.”
Lauren, 23, lives in BedStuy
“BHM makes me think about all the recent events involving shootings and racial tensions and how much more needs to change.”
Hannah, 31, Bedstuy.
“BHM makes me think about how important it is to listen to the stories of other people and that people’s stories that need to be shared.”
John, 15 (left) and Cardeair, 14 (right), BedStuy.
John, ” I thinks about Rosa Parks.”Cardeair, I thinks about Fredrick Douglas, and how important it is to know about our history.”
Shanya, 16, BedStuy.“BHM makes me think about me ancestors.”
Marvee, 30, Flatbush.
“BHM makes me think about all the sacrifices that have been made.”
Kenny, 23, BedStuy.
“BHM makes me question why it exists. I think it’s kind of sad that we only have a month for it just to make people recognize. Feels it should not be necessary.”
Sura, 19, Harlem.
“BHM makes me think about Black love, Black awareness, Black power, and about uplifting communities and families.”
Corey, Bedstuy.
“BHM is more profound this year because of recent events, shootings and Black Lives Matter. I feel a lot of pride and identity in my culture.”
Pablo, 25, Germany / Bedstuy.
“BHM is very necessary and it helps make people to be aware of history. I’m very happy to stay in BedStuy, I felt very welcome by the community. NYC is much more racially mixed than where I lives in Germany.”
David, 47,BedStuy.
“BHM just scratches the surface. So much separation still exists, things have changed, but not enough.”
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Photos / Jena Cumbo