In Pittsburgh’s predominately-Black neighborhoods such as Homewood, there are men who go above and beyond to take care of their families, watch over their neighbors, run community programs, teach, preach, and more.
The Pittsburgh Black Media Federation (PBMF) wants to highlight those African American men with a feature entitled, “American Heroes: The Homewood Project.” It is a photo series that will be created by aspiring and professional photographers for social media exhibitions and presentations, set to launch in July. A community exhibit in Homewood featuring the photo series will be unveiled in Homewood later this summer.
“The public will play a significant role in shaping this project, which we want to use to help change the media narrative about men of color. Too often that narrative is one that stereotypes or marginalizes them,” said Tory N. Parrish, president of PBMF.
With this project, she added, “We also hope to create mentorships among the participating photographers who are students, freelancers and media professionals.”
The “American Heroes” project is part of PBMF’s Black Male Media Project, #InspireBlackMen, which began June 10 with a networking and mentorship forum for aspiring and professional photographers at the Homewood-Brushton YMCA.
One of the forum participants was freelance photographer Kenneth Neely, 46, a teaching artist at an afterschool program at the Mt. Ararat Community Activity Center in Larimer. Many of the youngsters in the program come from neighborhoods such as Larimer, Lincoln-Lemington and Homewood.
“Too often, the everyday heroes working and living among those who they help the most, are overlooked,” Neely said.
Neely is a current Garfield resident who will be a photographer with the “American Heroes” project. He recounted a recent experience in which he asked 40 Kindergarten to eighth-grade students in his art program to name their heroes. The children rattled off the names of celebrities, professional athletes, and President Barack Obama, he said.
Neely was stunned that none of the children listed a local person.
Neely believes that having the students recognize the role models living and working among them, such as local police officers, firefighters, teachers, legislators, coaches and artists, “helps them see that their goals are attainable,” he said.
“Because then it gives them a true sense that some things are possible for them,” said Neely, a former photography editor at the New Pittsburgh Courier.
The Black Male Media Project is an effort launched by the National Association of Black Journalists to inspire, support and develop training and mentorship opportunities for Black men working in media and those that aspire to do so. Nationwide, 22 association chapters, including PBMF, are participating in the project by crafting their own programs.
One of the chief goals of the project is to try to marshal more diverse mainstream newsrooms in order to address the negative images of Black males in media and work to advance fuller, more positive and representative images of Black males.
The continued and constant projection of negative images of Black males creates a cycle of negativity, said Larry Davis, dean of the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Social Work.
“This affects the way Whites see Blacks, the way Blacks believe Whites see them and the way Blacks see themselves,” said Davis, who has studied the issues of Black males and media images.
“One of the most important things any group of people can do is to control the image of themselves,” he said.
“Black males are facing increasing difficulties obtaining positive life outcomes and avoiding negative ones,” Davis said. “We must change the way Black males are perceived and perceive themselves.”
(For more information about PBMF’s “American Heroes: The Homewood Project,” or to sign up as a participant/photographer for a workshop that is being held June 24, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Homewood YMCA, E-mail project coordinator Ervin Dyer at americanheroeshomewood@gmail.com—To recommend someone as a hero for the project, go to www.pbmf.org/inspireblackmen.)
(Editor’s note: The Pittsburgh Black Media Federation contributed to this story.)
Like us at https://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Pittsburgh-Courier/143866755628836?ref=hl
Follow @NewPghCourier on Twitter https://twitter.com/NewPghCourier
PBMF launches photography project showcasing positivity in Homewood
THE SELFIE—Mentor Kenneth Neely taking a selfie with Dorian Epps, Sovren Gray, Foster Owens, George B. Robinson, Elijah Steave and Richard W. Taylor Jr.
