I live three blocks from Golden Gate Park in the Sunset in San Francisco. It’s my number one place in the city where I come to reflect on life and how far I’ve come. I come here to let new ideas I have for a photography project or anything of that nature flow freely.
I can never really rest too easy in San Francisco.
I spent my whole life around black folks until I was 18. I started working a job in which I had to interact with all people from all walks of life. I would talk to people from all over the world who had beautiful accents. I moved here two years ago with my girlfriend whom I met back home in D.C. but is from here. I got here and saw so few black faces.
I was excited about moving here until I got here and realized that half the time, I’m the only black dude in a room.
I’m a photographer. I go out and about every day of the week to shoot. I venture into all kinds of neighborhoods and before I realize it, I’m the lone black man walking down the street. I’m a Buddhist so I try to find the one bright light in everyone I encounter but there’s always that thought that’s in the back of my mind. There is always that feeling of unrest I get. You just feel like someone around you is itching to paint you in that negative, stereotypical light that has always cast a shadow over our people.
You can see Kevin’s work @kevin.wayne
Black people are not monolithic – rather we are as varied as the universe. We are beautiful, talented, unique, human, complicated, nuanced and flawed.
Every Tuesday, a new story about #us will be featured.
