The work of black creatives seems to always get undermined in one way or another, and that's what this new generation is actively changing by speaking up. We aren't accepting group categorization and group classifications to describe our work anymore - it just leads to group dismissal.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the need for recognition and individual identity among black creatives, rejecting stereotypes and categorizations.
Kerby Jean-Raymond highlights the struggle faced by black creatives whose work has often been dismissed or undermined due to societal categorization. He asserts that the new generation is challenging these labels by voicing their unique experiences and contributions, advocating for individual recognition rather than being defined by a collective identity that leads to the undervaluation of their art.
In practice
This quote can be used in a speech addressing the importance of individual artistic expression.
Think about how much fashion profits from black culture and how underrepresented we are in the industry. If you insist on using black celebrities to peddle your merchandise and add a cool factor to your front row, it is indecent to not care about the plights of that person's community.
Is the 'black designer' label there to warn everyone not to have the same level of expectations for me, or is it some type of prize? I just want to work in an even playing field where I can get press for my work and not just my race and my personal views on it.
Someone once wrote that a novel should deliver a series of small astonishments. I get the same thing spending an hour with you.
Good actors I've worked with all started out making faces in a mirror, and you keep making faces all your life.
When you do dance, I wish you a wave o' the sea, that you might ever do nothing but that.
The power of story and the power of a well-crafted film or television show is really all you need to speak to people. I think Hollywood is sort of catching up to that.
The true artist does not create art as an end in itself; he creates art for human beings. Humanity is the goal.
I know my voice has a limited range of motion; I don't write dramatic monologues and pretend to be other people. But so far, my voice is broad enough to accommodate most of what I want to put into my poetry. I like my persona; I often wish I were him and not me.
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