CREDITS

In the creation of this project, I wanted to make sure that as a white creator, I was not overshadowing the Black creators around me, as the whole goal of this project was to give Black individuals an opportunity to use their voices to say what they want to say. That being said, I thought I should point out some specific efforts I took to make sure I am letting Black creators still be the focal point. Here's a thank you to them.

• As I am still developing my photography skills (I am a journalist first, photojournalist second), I, unfortunately, had yet to photograph too many Black individuals. I knew that I wanted to get it right for this project. Everyone deserves photos of themselves that make them feel good about themselves. My editing skills still have a long way to go, so I decided to purchase some Adobe Lightroom presets (pre-crafted filters, essentially). The package of presets I purchased was the "Cuba" Collection from a Black photographer named Asiyami Gold. Their website describes the package as "a set of 5 presets created to highlight the textures, patterns, and vibrant colors of Cuba." I had to make sure that I could show all of the different skin tones of the individuals I highlighted in the best way possible, and to do that, I needed a preset that was made to highlight the beauty in darker skin tones. Who better to create those presets than a phenomenal BIPOC photographer? I have linked their website in this paragraph. Click on their website and give them a follow!

• In the creation of this project, I had a million incomplete thoughts and ideas that I desperately needed help putting together. I needed someone to talk through things with me. I texted Daryl Gichui and asked if he would come sit on my front porch with me and talk through some things. He and I sat out in the hot June weather discussing an abstract idea for a project. He helped me find the people to talk to, what I needed to ask them, and how I should structure all of this. Daryl, being one of my best friends, was easily the best person I could have asked for help. He understands me enough to help me complete only half-finished ideas. Along with this, it was important to me that I used the talents and creativity of as many Black creators, idea-makers, and creatives as possible, and that includes Daryl. Without Daryl's disentanglement of the massive chaos in my brain, this project simply would not exist. As always, Daryl, your kindness and patience mean the world to me. Thank you for your help.

• As I was the main creator of this project, and I am only human, I knew that I would be subject to human error at any point in this project. Whether it be a simple typing and spelling error, or a photo that was inserted in the wrong place, or even something major like unintentionally using the wrong terminology, I knew that there had to be mistakes somewhere. And since the beginning of this project, I have stared at this screen for a ridiculous amount of time, editing the website, interviews, and pictures. It's to the point where I won't notice mistakes because I've looked at the work for so long. I knew I needed an editor. Kayla Jones, someone who I also included in this project, has been a good friend of mine since I was 15. I knew that Kayla was an avid poet, and was also studying English-related subjects at college. Along with this, she is also very well-aware of so many different race-related issues, as well as all of its intersectionality. This combination of being a strong writer and a strong activist made Kayla the perfect candidate to be an editor for this project. I am endlessly grateful to her for helping me make this project the absolute best it could be. Thank you, Kayla.