Rashod Taylor
Little Black Boy
Little Black Boy addresses themes of race, culture, family and legacy. These images are a family album, filled with friends and family, birthdays, vacations and everyday life. But these images tell you more than a family’s story; they’re a window onto the Black American experience.
"As I document my son I am interested in examining his childhood and the world he navigates. At the same time these images show my own unspoken anxiety and fragility as it pertains to the wellbeing of my son and fatherhood."
“At times I worry if he will be ok as he goes to school or as he plays outside with friends as children do. These feelings are enhanced due to the realities of growing up black in America.”
“He can't live a carefree childhood as he deserves; there is a weight that comes with his blackness, a weight that he is not ready to bear. It's my job to bear this weight as I am accustomed to the sorrows and responsibility it brings, the weight of injustice, prejudices, and racism that has been interwoven in our society and institutional systems for hundreds of years.”
I help him through this journey of childhood as I hope one day this weight will be lifted.
@rashodtaylorphoto
originally published in print in the love issue #9, Summer 2024