Curator Statement

Curator Statement 

 “Black is Black”: Invitational. I took this quote from a line spoken by the hip hop artist Q-Tip from the Da La Soul song “Me, Myself, and I”. The statement is simple but loaded with meaning. The idea is that regardless of what walk of life we lead or derive from as Black people; we are ALL Black. Moreover, I have heard with great frequency recently that being Black is not a “monolith”. I think this is at the heart of what Q-Tip was trying to say. Black Americans continue to be viewed as singular in mind, spirit, and culture. The fact is that there are cultural norms in the Black community just as in any other culture. However, the stigma of the “monolith” has prevailed both internally and externally. What I am attempting to question, and present is the fact that Black people in America’s experiences, and interests are as varied as any other culture and have been for more than a century of us becoming a part of the fabric of this nation.