Hello everyone!!
Welcome to Black Fathers Love photo series blog! Let me start with a brief introduction…
Becoming a father in 2014 was the best gift life has given me, second only to marrying my wife, Jamille in 2008. Not only was I blessed to be a new father, but I was also armed with a camera to document this new journey into fatherhood.
Over the years, my daughter Zulima who is now almost 6 years old, has been my muse and my model. Through capturing her first and funniest moments to chronicling her growing older, I’ve developed the skillset that has made me the photographer I am today.
In 2017, I had an idea to create a photo series featuring Black men that would show them in a positive light and debunk stereotypes. I tossed around ideas for awhile and eventually decided I wanted to tell stories of devoted fathers like myself. Unfortunately, life got in the way and the project never got off the ground.
Then came 2020 and all of our lives changed forever. With Covid-19 stay-at-home orders, I was furloughed from my day job which ended up being a blessing. When else would I have unlimited, uninterrupted time to devote to photography and to my family? If a national pandemic wasn’t enough, then came the murder of Mr. George Floyd that angered me and brought to the forefront overwhelming proof of biased treatment of Black men. This was a pivotal moment. I wanted to do my part and knew I couldn’t wait one more moment to begin Black Fathers Love.
Black Fathers Love is a collection of images and captions telling the stores of Black fathers and their importance to their families, their communities, and the world. I am extremely excited to bring these stories to you, while showcasing my skill and passion for photography. Bonus… this work is centered around fatherhood, a topic so dear to my heart.
For the past several months, I have been working diligently to bring this project to life with my web designer, who also happens to be my brother and owner of Demonstr8d Media. He and his team also saw the need for a project like this and immediately jumped on board to help create a web presence. A big thank you to Demonstr8d Media for the countless calls, emails, and text messages and for your support always.
The Black Fathers Love page is now live and ready for you to view. Please subscribe to stay updated and follow my progress. If you know someone in your community willing to share their story please nominate them here. If you believe Black men’s stories are worth telling donate here
Thank you for your continued support.
Love,
Jebel
Jenius Photography