Indiegogo

469237

I AM

The Black Male Identity Project

  • Created by:

    Tiny

  • Location:Baltimore, Maryland, United States

  • Category:Video / Web

Our Story

Black Male Identity is a year-long project of the Baltimore community-based arts organization, Art On Purpose, and has the audacious goal of serving as a catalyst for an ongoing National campaign to build, celebrate and accentuate positive and authentic images and narratives of black cultural identity. I AM documents and chronicles the various stages, challenges and achievements of the process of bringing together artists, community members, faith-based organizations, educators, and advocates to develop a true and positive story of identity that currently is not acknowledged for its impact on mainstream culture. 


The Impact

I AM, intends to stimulate continuous conversation about what it is to be black and male in American society through the eyes of black men and boys and project who they really are to the larger society. What we see through mainstream media is either a glimpse into the dark and negative criminal behavior of a few black men or a glorification of athleticism and entertainment. It doesn't show the black man as a devoted husband and father who labors daily to provide for and uplift his family. It doesn't show a track coach who goes above and beyond being a coach to being a mentor, helping to guide young people through the struggles and challenges they face at school and at home with the ultimate goal of giving them the confidence and skills to believe in their own abilities. I AM will present black men and boys as you have never seen them before, taking ownership of who they are and how they want others to perceive them. I AM will explore the role of art and culture as it relates to a people's sense of self and how they relate to others.


What We Need & What You Get

D.R.Lynes, Inc., and award winning producer Dean Radcliffe-Lynes has received funding from Art on Purpose, through the Open Society Institute, to document the Black Male Identity project that will be used as a model for replicating this campaign in other cities. Our ideal goal, however, is to produce a full length documentary with in-depth conversation relating to black self-identity from experts, as well as from the streets, from fraternal organizations to barber shops, from the pulpit to the school ground. We will also provide positive examples of the black man that society rarely gets to see and intend to have a countering effect on the numerous negative images that we are bombarded with on a regular basis. The documentary will be marketed for national distribution and segments of the documentary will also be made available through the Black Male Identity web site (http://morethan28days.com) that will add to the continuing conversation and interaction from those visiting the site. We need to raise an additional $15,000.00 to produce this full-length documentary. Baltimore is the catalyst for this national campaign, however, in addition to capturing what is taking place in this great city, we need to travel to cities and states around the country to give a more diverse representation of who the black man is and the additional funds will allow for us to do that. We also need to capture a number of grass-roots activities that are taking place nationally surrounding this issue of self-identity.  If we are not able to reach our fund raising goals, whatever funds we are able to raise will be used to create a shorter version of the documentary that is Baltimore based and will show that this city and it's people are much more than what has been seen on The Wire.

Anyone who gives at any level will be recognized on the "www.morethan28days.com" sponsors page, where we will have a running list of supporters at various levels.

Other Ways You Can Help

Everyone is welcome to participate in the Black Male Identity Project. Visit the web site: http://morethan28days.com to join the conversation and to offer your works of art. But most of all, if you believe that the black man, black boy is more than what we see, than we need your support to change the perception of what it means to be black and the numerous contributions that have been made nationally and globally to who we all are as human beings.

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