Kids As Role Models
May 12, 2013 9:47 AM   Subscribe

Kids photographed as famous role models - White women and African-Americans.
posted by divabat (32 comments total) 20 users marked this as a favorite
 
I saw the Jamie Moore link yesterday and thought it was cool. The girl has a great talent for posing! I find the framing of this post a little strange though, at least for the "white women" one. It's not like the mom is like, "hey, daughter, here are some fellow white women to look up to."
posted by sweetkid at 9:52 AM on May 12, 2013 [1 favorite]


my heart swelled seeing Angela Davis and Assata Shakur and then I scrolled down to Condoleezza Rice :/
I can see her appeal as a role model, it's just strange to see them on the same page.
posted by avocet at 9:55 AM on May 12, 2013 [1 favorite]


I was mostly trying to make a distinction between one project which is clearly focused on African-American role models specifically, while also not trying to make "White women" the default of "women". It is an odd framing but I wasn't sure what else would work.
posted by divabat at 10:00 AM on May 12, 2013 [2 favorites]


I was mostly trying to make a distinction between one project which is clearly focused on African-American role models specifically, while also not trying to make "White women" the default of "women". It is an odd framing but I wasn't sure what else would work.

Yeah, that makes sense. I guess I see a big difference between them because one is very specifically about a mom and her daughter, and the other one is a larger empowerment campaign (a very cool one).
posted by sweetkid at 10:02 AM on May 12, 2013


I actually like that the last sequence of portraits in the "women" link was just the little girl, being her own hero.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:09 AM on May 12, 2013 [6 favorites]


Happy to see my personal hero, Ida B. Wells listed. If there was ever a hero who doesn't get enough ink, who every school child should know about, but doesn't, it's Ida B. Wells.

I wish someone would make a really good movie about her amazing life.

To get back on track, I really like the Muhammad Ali shot. A lot.
posted by cccorlew at 10:09 AM on May 12, 2013 [2 favorites]


Lot of pretty cool ones, I laughed at the Spike Lee and Malcolm X versions.


I fully understand the "but this person isn't a good role model..." reaction to folks like Rice, but as much as I agree with the sentiment, actually I kind of applaud the project for not excluding her. As much as we may dislike what she did in office and who she worked for, she is a role model of sorts despite her politics. And.. I guess someone like Clarance Thomas would be as well.
posted by edgeways at 10:26 AM on May 12, 2013


my heart swelled seeing Angela Davis and Assata Shakur and then I scrolled down to Condoleezza Rice :/
I can see her appeal as a role model, it's just strange to see them on the same page.


Not to mention that Condoleezza has probably never appeared in public with her hair like that. Probably not in private either.

The inclusion of Kerry Washington is interesting. From a "Black people in TV history" standpoint, I probably would have included Diahann Carroll instead of Kerry or perhaps included them both.

OMG, the Janelle Monae is fabulous.
posted by fuse theorem at 10:29 AM on May 12, 2013 [1 favorite]


Ok that Janelle Monae just made my day.
posted by LobsterMitten at 10:34 AM on May 12, 2013 [4 favorites]


Janelle Monae is my number one girl crush and also a sublime goddess. Baby!Janelle is equally adorable and fbulous.
posted by These Birds of a Feather at 10:36 AM on May 12, 2013


This is awesome and I completely love the Run DMC and Malcolm X ones. However, Henrietta Lacks? Is she really a role model? Maybe her cells are...
posted by DecemberBoy at 10:37 AM on May 12, 2013


I really like the variety and breadth of personages in the Black History Month campaign, and I feel like the approach of photographing today's kids in the role of role model reduces the psychological distancing effect of time and increases a sense of continuing relevance and connection. I think I felt a stronger urge to find out more about the people whose biographies I didn't know about than if they had simply used the original dusty old historical photographs.

And...it took until 1981 until we had our first African American woman neurosurgeon? Wow, just wow.
posted by drlith at 10:40 AM on May 12, 2013 [3 favorites]


These were lovely and I can't wait to see the next batch when all these kids grow up and get their own posters for stuff we can't even imagine in reality yet.

Wonderful post.
posted by Lipstick Thespian at 10:56 AM on May 12, 2013 [2 favorites]


And...it took until 1981 until we had our first African American woman neurosurgeon? Wow, just wow.

That's really due more to the woman-ness than the African American-ness, I think; there were only a handful of female neurosurgeons in the US at the time.
posted by Sys Rq at 11:24 AM on May 12, 2013


my heart swelled seeing Angela Davis and Assata Shakur and then I scrolled down to Condoleezza Rice :/

I actually think the Canady quote speaks to this: "The greatest challenge I faced in becoming a neurosurgeon was believing it was possible." I feel really blessed to have come of age in a decade where women were visibly busting boundaries: Gerealdine Ferraro, Indira Ghandi, Sally Ride, Margaret Thatcher, Oprah Winfrey. Does this mean Margaret Thatcher is an admirable woman? No. But Margaret Thatcher being prime minister means it is possible, and that knowledge is almost immeasurably valuable. You cannot be what you cannot see.
posted by DarlingBri at 12:00 PM on May 12, 2013 [1 favorite]


That Because of Them We Can project is great. I really hope their Kickstarter funds.
posted by painquale at 12:21 PM on May 12, 2013


I met Eunique (the woman behind Because of Them We Can) at a digital marketing conference last month. It's an amazing story. She thought up the idea in late January, and by the time I met her in April she had quit her job and was full time with the photo stuff.
posted by COD at 12:37 PM on May 12, 2013 [1 favorite]


Fredrick Douglass has the best hair. I'm sure there is a political point to be drawn from that somehow.
posted by Abiezer at 12:42 PM on May 12, 2013 [1 favorite]


Oh I have to get the George Washington Carver one for a friend...my Irish friend is now kinda hooked on his story; she's a science teacher in Cork, and she said she has the class decorated with portraits of famous scientists from history, and when she was last visiting here she said that she'd recently had a kid challenge her about them: "Please, miss, why don't you have any pictures of black scientists?" And she was embarrassed to realize that she just plain didn't know of any Big Names in the science field.

I did a bit of brainstorming and then thought of Carver, who she hadn't heard of, and told her what I remembered about him - and then that turned into about an hour of obsessive Googling and reading, followed by an excited trip to a bookstore for a book on him, and by the time she went home she was even coming up with a lesson plan based on his work, and so now there are a bunch of kids in a small town in County Cork who are being challenged to think up alternate uses for local crops the way that Carver did with peanuts and cotton and that's actually kinda awesome.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:51 PM on May 12, 2013 [6 favorites]


I think this is great, gives kids some role models that show them they can contribute rather than aiming for 15 mins of fame on a reality show.
posted by arcticseal at 1:00 PM on May 12, 2013 [3 favorites]


I disagree with Rice about almost everything, but she rose to the top of her field and went on to become Secretary of State. You can admire her accomplishments without agreeing about what she did with them once she got there.
posted by 1adam12 at 1:05 PM on May 12, 2013 [2 favorites]


The noticeably disproportional way white woman role models were OLD white women role models vs African-Americans were male and female- and much much recent in American history-I call that progress. (Yes I know, apples and oranges) Honestly, I find it hard impossible to find current white role models these days myself.
I also found it lame that the last white girl was herself on both sides, wanting to be president in 2044. If we have to wait 'till 2044 for a woman president...well then what's the point of anything...give up now...(yes, I know again, it's about the Disney taught idea that you can be anything-[white people problems]-do anything-just be yourself and all is fine that was the point there...I just wish we were post Disney or some bullshit).
posted by QueerAngel28 at 1:31 PM on May 12, 2013


QueerAngel28:"If we have to wait 'till 2044 for a woman president...well then what's the point of anything...give up now..."

Emma just turned 5, so she won't be constitutionally eligible for the presidency for 31 more years. I, too, hope we don't have to wait that long.
posted by MsDaniB at 2:32 PM on May 12, 2013 [1 favorite]


It's not like the mom is like, "hey, daughter, here are some fellow white women to look up to."

I don't see why not, really. If a white child learns about racism and her race's role in it, that could be exactly a good thing.
posted by iotic at 3:19 PM on May 12, 2013


I don't know what that means, iotic.
posted by sweetkid at 3:20 PM on May 12, 2013


I mean, it's not a surprise to us that black kids might want positive black role models, but it is somehow a surprise that white people should explicitly identify as white, and choose role models based on race - again, explicitly "this is a positive white role model for me". But in fact the history of white people is not perfect, and if a child is educated honestly they will understand some of this, and may want to choose explicitly white role models as good examples. That's all.
posted by iotic at 3:28 PM on May 12, 2013


somehow a surprise that white people should explicitly identify as white

I don't think race was at all a focus of the Jamie Moore project, but it was a focus of the other project. That's why I felt the framing of the post was weird, although I understand the logic and it's not that big of a deal. It just feels like apples and oranges to me.

I mean, yea it would have been interesting if Jamie Moore had chosen portraits of black women for her daughter to recreate, but I can see why she would be hesitant to do that even if she felt like it was a good idea.
posted by sweetkid at 3:43 PM on May 12, 2013


The little girl was cute, but the African-American empowerment posters are just outstanding! First as a wonderful example of role modeling and then OMG these kids are so dang cute. Most of them are absolutely outstanding at their portrayals, and Obama just made me laugh out loud with delight.

I'm wondering how this would have changed the message (if at all) had they used teenagers instead of the adorable kidlets. My first guess is that it would have lost a lot of the playfulness, but would that have been a bad thing or not?

It just feels like apples and oranges to me.

Placed under the overarching theme of empowerment, it works for me, but I can certainly see why it feels disjointed to folks.

I have a sad, because I think every school in the US should be provided with a copy of these posters, and I know there are many teachers out there that just don't have the funds to provide them for their classrooms.
posted by BlueHorse at 3:59 PM on May 12, 2013 [1 favorite]


I think every school in the US should be provided with a copy of these posters, and I know there are many teachers out there that just don't have the funds to provide them for their classrooms.

I sense a grass-roots donation drive coming on....
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:24 PM on May 12, 2013 [2 favorites]


The inclusion of Kerry Washington is interesting. From a "Black people in TV history" standpoint, I probably would have included Diahann Carroll instead of Kerry or perhaps included them both.

I have loved Diahann Carroll since I was very small. An advantage of being brought up by old folks, I guess? I was so delighted to see that she had a role on White Collar, and indeed, she is why I started watching. I spent a lot of time complaining, however, that they never let her sing.

And then...the writers did, and she is just as glorious now as she was when I was a child. It was great fun to watch the Monsters' mouths drop open and stay that way for a while. She needs a poster!

The Obama poster is killing me with the cuteness, and I'm very much enamored of the Judith Jameson poster. But my favorite has to be W.E.B. Du Bois. Little dude looks SO serious and contemplative, just awesome.
posted by MissySedai at 4:25 PM on May 12, 2013


The poster of Oprah reminded me of that 30 Rock sketch and now I can't look at it. But the rest of them were wonderful!
posted by BinGregory at 10:33 PM on May 12, 2013


I think Catherine Coleman is a pretty good role model.
posted by plinth at 5:54 AM on May 13, 2013


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