African-American fathers

Guy Miller, Bronx, NY. Married to Lanik Conley-Miller. Father of Nijeyah, Nijel, Guy Jr., and Lanae. © Zun Lee

African-American fathers?

Certainly feckless. Definitely careless. Usually absent. Everyone knows that.

Really?

That’s stereotypes for you.

Bloody dangerous things. They dominate, they infiltrate, they insinuate. Anything that can explode their dangerous myths should be embraced.

The reality?

Have a look at Zun Lee’s glorious body of work Father Figure. It blows these tired, and invidious, stereotypes out of the water. And whats more it’s beautiful, insightful and deeply intelligent work.

Zun’s portfolio shows dads, ordinary ones. Being loving to their partners. Fathers to their children. Just being….there.

These are images that portray events that are, in every possible way, remarkably ordinary.

And that’s the highest compliment I can possibly pay them.

“Black father absence is a contentiously-debated social issue in the US and other countries. Too many Black men, so the argument goes, are missing, irresponsible, selfish, not stepping up to the plate. Visuals of deadbeat, absentee Black fathers abound in mainstream media, often intended to sensationalize and ridicule rather than to raise awareness.These stereotypes did not emerge out of thin air. Married couples with children constitute less than one-fifth of African American households. Over 60 percent of African American children are raised by single mothers. As Americans are struggling to cope with the social and economic consequences of the worst recession since the Great Depression, it appears this will likely become more of a reality for not just Black children, but many kids of all racial groups……..

……At first, working with these loving fathers was actually the last thing I wanted to do. Many of the encounters were filled with situations I had not experienced as a child, so they were difficult to witness, difficult to understand, and often difficult to photograph. But I knew I had to push past that resistance and spend time with these families – sometimes even live with them for a while. That was the only way to establish the trust and connection necessary to make the images I wanted.

Father Figure is not about reinterpreting “good/bad dad” typologies, or myth busting. It’s primarily about personal redemption. But by showing those quiet moments that are deemed un-newsworthy, I hope this work can also prompt people to question assumptions and become sensitive to the broader context of Black fatherhood. Perhaps it can serve as a counterbalance to the prevalent narrative.”  Zun Lee.

Jerell Willis, New York, NY. Single. Father of Fidel. © Zun Lee