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The following post is from Get The T. It was written by Tiana Jorman.

By: Tiana Jorman

The world is taught to love and hate black men in rapid succession leaving them to struggle for recognition in a nation that constantly imposes their identity and character upon them.  Some may argue that we live in a post racial society, recent events have proved that far too often race purposes life and death consequences-consequences that our black men are all too familiar with.

Our black men and boys (insert any one of the 50 names of a black male that have succumb to police brutality here) are a vivid representation of the gender and race divide we observe in American politics. While they’re left struggling with the pressures of hurt, rejection and constant search for identity it is often the women in the culture that step forward and defend fiercely the very essence of the male being.

We’ve seen time and time again black women become the face of organization and protest within our communities which is why it came as no surprise that a former colleague of mine (Imani Amos) embarked on a journey to not only highlight but also humanize our black men through her photo essay titled: 50 Shots: Humanizing America’s Most Hunted.” 

50 Shots as explained by Imani is her testament to and love for black men but even more than that it’s her way of breaking down the stereotypes imposed upon our black men. The project highlights 50 Chicago men, taking their mugshots and having them hold up on a board the characteristics that make them who they are, humanizing them in a way that society fails to do.

Click here to read the rest.