I am excited to have published my latest article on documenting the African Diaspora here in the Toronto-based publication ByBlacks.com. It's titled Father Figure. I never had to search far for my father. He committed to being a family man when he married my mother in the late 60s and he still takes my calls when I now want to know what he's up to instead of the other way around. I, thankfully, do not understand the pain, anger, loss, abandonment that comes with growing up without a father in the household. With feminism at the forefront these days, I have probably--and naively so--been a believer that healthy families are in abundance in the form of single mother households. I have friends and family who have proven that with their successful sons and daughters. But we cannot gloss over those who find the absence of their biological father too much to bear. It is a burden that keeps on giving. And when does one start healing? My Black Dox article this week was very special to me in that I was introduced to street photographer Zun Lee by photography curator extraordinaire Deb Willis. She found our work similar in that we pursue documentary stories that work to heal young Black men. Zun Lee discovered he was of African descent as a young child born to what he thought were two Korean parents. But, he found out the truth: His Black father left them upon learning his mother was pregnant. Zun's reconciliation with his feelings has come in the form of a collection of extremely personal images in the book titled Father Figure - Exploring the Notions of Black Fatherhood. It is set for release this month by Ceibafoto LLC. Insight to the incredible work of this physician turned photo artist may be found in my article here. Well done, Zun Lee. Well done.
Photography by Zun Lee.
Nicole and Donald Franklin.