Black Past, Black Present

It doesn’t matter how educated, experienced, dedicated, or hardworking a black man is, he is always judged, first and foremost, as a black man, which, in 21st century America, is [still] not a good thing. I am a black man. I am so much more than a black man. I am a designer, a professional, a son, a grandson, a brother, a cousin, a nephew, an uncle, a neighbor, a friend, a colleague, a lover, an American, a Chicagoan. I am so many things. And yet the color of my skin overshadows my myriad identities, and, if I’m not vigilant, casts a pall over my accomplishments and talents, my ambitions and dreams. Which is why I will be a lifelong student of black history; and why I draw so much inspiration from it; and why black history will continue to have such a profound influence on my work. How could it be otherwise.