A dad is a dad no matter what. But unfortunately, today’s society still reduces some dads, particularly black dads, to hurtful stereotypes. One Philadelphia-based photographer is on a mission to change that?one dad and one photo at a time.
Through a series dubbed 100 Black Dads, Lucy Baber is exposing what it means to be black and raising kids in today’s culture. The photo project features loving dads with their children and looks to explore and challenge perceptions of men of colour and the stereotype of the absent black father.
Being an activist, Baber got the idea for the project through her involvement with Black Lives Matter and wanted to contribute to the movement through art. Enter 100 Black Dads. Recognizing her privilege as a white woman, Baber removes herself from the project, acting only as a means to capture the stories of these men. Her focus is on translating the relationship between father and child into image and representing what it means to be a dad of colour by capturing the everyday of fatherhood. Photo courtesy of Lucy Baber
For dads who have participated (there are 17 so far), the process is simple: Each one completes a questionnaire before their story is captured in a beautiful, intimate photograph. Baber then posts the photos to her Facebook and Instagram accounts with quotes directly from the dads portrayed in them. She wants to support these dads by dismantling the harmful ideas of what it means to be a black man that are project...