WHY I CREATED THIS

Joey O'Kelly

Hey everyone. Thanks for checking out this website and this project. My name is Joey O'Kelly, and I'm a sophomore at the University of Iowa studying Social Justice and Social Work. I'm really glad you're here.

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Each one of these individuals has a different story to tell. They have unique backgrounds and live different lives.

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I am lucky enough to have crossed paths with all of the people involved in this project. Some from high school organizations like Newspaper or Diversity Council, some from work, and even some from sports we played together as kids. Some of them have more in common with each other than others, but there is one thing that is shared between everyone: we have all spent at least some portion of our lives in the Kansas City area. And yet, all of us have had different experiences.

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I have been an amateur journalist and photojournalist since I was 14 years old, and I decided that I should use my abilities to bring attention to those who deserve it. Far too often, Black individuals are overshadowed by the accomplishments of their white peers. It is time that the spotlight gets shifted towards BIPOC (Black and Indigenous people-of-color).

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Please take what you (hopefully) learn and gain from reading this, and apply it to your lives. Understand that there is privilege in whiteness, and you need to use that privilege to do good. Use it to uplift. And if you are a non-Black POC, do the same. We can't sit silently anymore. We never should have. Ignoring these systemic issues is in and of itself an act of racism and violence towards Black people globally.

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To use a quote from the great Ibram X. Kendi, "One endorses either the idea of a racial hierarchy as a racist, or racial equality as an antiracist. One either believes problems are rooted in groups of people, as a racist, or locates the roots of problems in power and policies, as an anti-racist. One either allows racial inequities to persevere, as a racist, or confronts racial inequities, as an antiracist."

I want to end by stating that this project is not at all about me. I created this project, not to promote my own art, but to bring attention to those who deserve it. I snapped a couple pictures and asked some important questions, and now I want to share them with you all. It is not about me, it is about everyone I recognized. I hope you enjoy it.