Jen Reid’s story originally appeared in Up + Rising, a celebration of extraordinary Black voices, and is the first chapter of i-D’s 40th anniversary issue (1980-2020).
i-D chronicled over 100 activists and artists, musicians and writers, photographers and creatives, in Atlanta, Baltimore, Minneapolis, LA, London, New York, Paris and Toronto.
“My hope for the future is that there will be no Black History Month as Black history will be part of the curriculum. That Black children will grow up having a true sense of belonging, and that their white peers will have a better understanding and appreciation of Black people and what they have contributed to society. The dream is that systemic racism is eradicated within the criminal justice system, employment, housing, health care, politics, and education and that all mankind regardless of race or gender will play on a level playing field shouldn’t have to be a dream, but it is. The reality is that this is still a long way off, but by maintaining the profile of the movement, by continuing the push for change, we can make sure that progress is made together.
As Martin Luther King simply put it, ‘that one day to live in a nation where a man or woman will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character’. There is good reason to hope, but to make reality from hope will require unity and perseverance. Humanity must, and will, prevail.”
Credits
Photography Jermaine Francis.
Photographed on Holloway Road, London, N7.
Casting Samuel Ellis Scheinman for DMCASTING.
Casting assistance Alexandra Antonova.