Black Male Re-imagined
Unleashing the Power of Art, Culture and Media to Transform Black Communities
On December 6, 2010, Harlem Children’s Zone, American Values Institute, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and Open Society Foundation’s U.S. Programs’ Campaign for Black Male Achievement hosted a community Town Hall discussion to kick off Black Male: Re-Imagined – a national summit to address the negative perceptions and associations of black men and boys in American society.
The Town Hall conversation featured an intergenerational group of artists who live at the intersection of culture and social change. They explored questions such as: what role does art and culture play in advancing social justice? Does the desire for social change drive what we see in culture or do cultural shifts bring about social change? How does media impact the way we see each other and ourselves? What role can media influencers like Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs and Kanye West play in transforming and challenging the misperceptions of black youth and our own self-image?
Our hope is that this rich dialogue will empower black youth to use and engage art, culture, and media to transform self-images and create positive social change.