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SEE ME BECAUSE

Volume 15

www.seemebecause.org www.art-start.org @artstartorg

About Art Start

Since 1991, Art Start has used the creative process to nurture the voices, hearts, and minds of youth from communities that have been historically marginalized, offering a space for them to imagine, believe, and represent their creative vision for their lives and communities.

Founded and headquartered in New York City, Art Start engages thousands of youth and community members each year through it’s three main programs: Creative Collectives, Creative Connections, and Public Exchanges. Art Start meets youth where they are, supports them in identifying and building upon innate talents, wisdom, and lived experiences, and maintains platforms for voices to be heard and people to be seen through the process of their own creative self-determination.

about the project

See Me Because is a part of the Art Start Portrait Project, a multimedia project and platform for Art Start participants to portray the complex narratives of their identities, asking the world to see them as they choose to be seen.

Art Start believes that the exercise of creation and authorship over one’s identity is an exercise in true freedom - a liberation not often experienced by communities that have been historically marginalized. In addition, when we create, we occupy a space of inherent optimism. When we practice creation, our “possibility” factor comes from within ourselves, without permission from any external person or system. Over time, this can profoundly alter how we interact with opportunity, and likewise how to approach its obstacles.

Art Start’s mantra is: “Imagine. Believe. Create. Become.” It all starts with the freedom to imagine, the courage to believe and the resources and safe space to create before we have a chance to recreate ourselves throughout our lives. The Art Start Portrait Project is a manifestation of this creative process.

Art Start’s See Me Because gives youth and young adults from historically marginalized communities a framework to explore their own complex personal narratives through the creative arts, oral histories, and portraiture.

This iteration of the project, Volume 15, centers youth whose lives have been affected by incarceration and the justice system. Over the course of ten weeks, woking with nine youth participants, we offered space and support for self-expression and identity exploration towards a collective goal of reducing the stigma associated with justice-involvement through their own creative self-determination. This publication is part of a platform to represent their ideas, talents, and dreams, apart from any preconceived notions of who they are.

Johanna De Los Santos

Co-Exectuive

Director, Art Start

Reshard Riggins

Co-Exectuive Director, Art Start

See me becau

becauSe

The best way to get love is selflove, and then you need it from other people. My family is my center, but other young Black adults in this American society are the people who can understand me. My identity as an African American man provides me with a community.

By Zachary Maxwell Stertz 2024

Portrait of KARRELL

I am an 18-year-old African American. I live in Bushwick, Brooklyn but I was born in East New York and lived there until I was eleven. Growing up there was not the best; people in that environment were miserable, and they took it out on others through violence and discouragement. It’s a lowincome environment that can bring out the worst in people. Bushwick is significantly different. It’s quiet, no one does things to upset others and I’m now able to better regulate my emotions and think more clearly because the environment is better.

I am proud to be alive. I am proud to wake up each morning and keep going. Although I want to complain about life, someone always has it worse. Some of my goals are to use technology to have an impact on the world, making sure people have the resources they need. I think we also need leaders who will stop wars. The best way to get love is self-love, and then you need it from other people. My family is my center, but other young Black adults in this American society are the people who can understand me. Other people see me without the personal details; they just see a young Black male from New York.

But culturally, other Black people can understand my insecurities or doubts that I have cast upon myself. My identity as an African American man provides me with a community. It’s important to change stereotypes, because when you are judging someone, you don’t know if they are on their last leg. I think we can change this by having people be aware and understand stereotypes so they can see the negative impact they have on others.

I am inspired by Edward Elric, an anime character from a show called Fullmetal Alchemist. He preaches a theme called equivalent exchange. It’s the idea that you can gain something, but you will have to lose something; or you can lose something, but then you gain something.

I first learned this when I was nine years old, and I still hold the theory of equivalent exchange close to me. I used to see arguments in school, but equivalent exchange helped me realize that if you lose self-control, there will be consequences. This is such an important dynamic to me. I think it’s so beautiful.

- Karrell

We need to care more for people.

I am trying to get somewhere better. My dream is to be an artist and make music. I’ve always been around music.

By zachary maxwell stertz 2024

Portrait of ferdinand

I’m 21 years old. I grew up in the Bronx, and I am still in the Bronx - same community, same friends. There’s a lot going on there. I’ve had distractions all my life, but I’ve kept it together. I see myself as strong, optimistic, loyal, and caring. I keep going. There is a lot of stuff that could have held me back, but I am determined. Everything around me can be going wrong but in my head, I say Keep going. Eventually, it will be better if you keep working.

Talking about the justice system, sometimes people make mistakes. The waiting process of a case takes a long time, and as you wait, it takes away time where you are trying to make positive changes. It makes you feel stuck, and takes a toll on your mind.

There’s a lot that needs to change. The way people are pursued. How we are treated.

I don’t feel like we get to speak our mind. There’s no focus on mental health. We really just have ourselves.

I think the world can do better to ensure people are okay. Instead, people are overused with little care for who they are.

I know older people who retired and have very little in benefits. We need to care more for people.

I am trying to get somewhere better. My dream is to be an artist and make music. I’ve always been around music. I used to go to church and be in the choir. I can play the drums and the piano. I learn fast. In my music, I talk about life and what’s going on around me. I write down lyrics in a book, the old-school way. I like sentimental vibe songs where you can really express yourself. The best you can do for people is to keep it real. Tell people the truth.

- Ferdinand

I taught myself what I know about playing the piano, and I’ve grown really interested in music theory. I want to defy what “theory” means when people say music theory. They think of European musicians from the 18th century. I taught myself theory to play my own music.

By zachery maxwell stertz 2024

Portrait of nikola

I remember always feeling like a creative person. As a child, I remember being in the hair salon that my mother owned, kneeling over on a chair, making a paper airplane. I remember sneaking out of mass and catechesis to go to the piano room to play, where I found solace in the piano. I remember it felt and still feels like a decomposed version of my throat.

I am someone who really likes linguistics and sounds, the way they are organized. I absolutely love juxtapositions. The thought of two or more things being next to each other and complementing or dancing off each other is a beautiful thing. That’s why I like music, the sequence of being able to speak words in a rhythmic order, or the beats in a bar of a song; something that’s done with intention. More than one thing at a time can be pretty beautiful.

my own music. I think it’s important to exist beyond stereotypes. To have your presence out in the world in contrast to the stereotype is important.

I love playing piano and the ability to tell stories that way. When I play, I’m trying to express an emotion, a scene, a wordless thought, a color, the feeling of love or hate, or how itchy a sweater might be— it feels free. I made an album about the chambers of the heart. I talked about perseverance and composed a song about how I love myself. I am proud of that.

When I imagine community, I imagine what a summer vacation feels like, but not how it’s depicted in movies. Everyone who is there is held up, and whoever needs to be held accountable is. People can ask others to do better, and tools and support are provided for their success. We have gardens on the sidewalks where people meet and eat together. There’s no need for a reward system. Everyone has the capability to make and see change happen.

- Nikola

Especially as a minority, there is a lot of wrong, biased, hateful rhetoric about people that look like me, have my hair texture, etc. Stereotypes have consequences. It impacts us. I want to break that narrative for myself and for my family.

zachary maxwell stertz

Portrait of nasir by

I am a freshman at John Jay College, going for a Computer Science degree. I worked very hard to get to this point. My mom suggested I be part of the tech world because it would make an impact on the future.

I grew up in New York. As a child, my family moved a lot. A lot of crazy stuff happened, not to me personally, but the things I saw and heard. It is a tough and unmotivating environment. Actually, for me, it did motivate me to move on and get my diploma. I’m proud I graduated high school, but a lot of people dropped out and gave up.

My parents are my biggest inspiration. People say celebrities are theirs, but to me inspiration comes from within the home. It’s the parents that can put you in the position to be better for yourself, better for your future. Particularly my mother, she went back to school to get her Bachelor’s degree, then her Master’s. She was the first in the family. She made the change, which inspires me to do so. I’m working to be the second in the family.

yourself—that’s something my mother has always driven into us. There’s a lot of harmful rhetoric out that can be extremely dangerous. Especially as a minority, there is a lot of wrong, biased, hateful rhetoric about people that look like me, have my hair texture, etc. Stereotypes have consequences. It impacts us. I want to break that narrative for myself and for my family. For me, it goes back to education. There’s never enough knowledge. The human brain is always looking for more. The way I was raised, education is held to a high standard; we are all highly educated.

My mother got a degree in Criminal Justice, and she stresses to me to always know your rights, to have knowledge about what goes on around you. Always be confident, and never allow others to trump your rights.

I want to inspire my siblings: always get an education, become something of

A quote from one of my professors also stuck with me: “What you don’t know is another person’s power.” I try to be an upstanding citizen, the best I can. We should be having intellectual conversations with each other.

We should strive for more peace. Someday we are all going to pass on, and we need to destroy the things that will harm the next generation. Hate has gotten us nowhere; look at history.

Fortunately, I’ve had no interaction with the police or the justice system. But if I ever do interact with a cop, it should be positive. They are here to serve and protect, even though that’s not always the case. That’s the reality. I’ve seen a lot of people in my environment be impacted by that reality. I can think of multiple scenarios, and the impact the justice system has inadvertently had on me.

I like to keep things low-key, mellow. I found more peace staying out of the spotlight. I advocate for myself and have the ability to not need a lot of recognition from others; the best recognition is your own. It goes back to confidence. I stay in my house with my family or in my room reflecting on myself, in introspection, trying to figure out how I can be better for myself and those around me. - Nasir

Untitled works 2025

By Nasir

I dream of driving my grandfather’s 1984 Continental Mark V and taking it down to Atlanta. Why there? I’ve seen so much creativity flow from Atlanta, and I’ve noticed that a lot of artists who inspire me are from there. That would be the ideal scenario. I don’t think I ever fully comprehended how much I could do if I put my mind to it.

of joseph by zachary maxwell stertz

Portrait

Do you only want to be in a hallway of oneway mirrors where you only look at yourself? You can’t grow or evolve that way. You don’t have perspective or learn—you stay bland. You should always stay inquisitive, accept and own your own ignorance so you get out there and learn.

in the people in my neighborhood. My father is my biggest inspiration. I remember his lesson to me when I was thrown out into the world, despite my mother trying to maintain my innocence. My dad taught me various things that prepared me for life as a person of my skin color.

I am the rebel kid. Others see me as kind and verbose; verbose because I have a lot to say, and most of the time, I don’t get the chance to say it. I know how to get around without compromising myself, my integrity, or the way I desire to present myself.

I grew up in the Williamsbridge neighborhood in the Bronx. I’ve been a city kid. Academically, I have stayed in school, but I want to venture into different mediums on my creative side.

My family was split on how to raise me. My father wanted me to embrace the environment around me, to give me a sense of pride and agency when moving about. My mother wanted to shun the environment and the kids around me, the ones that didn’t fit the good Christian role model. So growing up, I was distant from my peers, but I was also intrigued by them.

My mother is very straight-laced, and my father had a different type of skills that I saw reflected

I was impacted by the justice system; I was Upstate. Others there could see that I, someone who spoke a little more articulately, should not have been there, yet we were all treated the same. I saw a lot of people there who needed help, people that I thought should not be there, people who needed rehabilitation, or people who were too young, whose brains were not fully developed and who didn’t fully understand what was going on. It impacted me. It was a wake-up call.

- Joseph

What do I want to see change?

I want more art out there. I also want good people in power instead of people who just think about themselves and their money. I want people to see my art. I want people to get it, to feel connected.

By Zachary Maxwell Stertz 2024

Portrait of nate

I am hilarious. My personality can be really out there. I get nervous at first; my shoulders go up. But if I’m chilling with my favorite people, jokes just come up. My jokes are hilarious. If others don’t laugh, they are haters or just didn’t get the joke. I like being me. Some people may think I am cool or intimidating, but I honestly don’t know, nor does it matter that much. At the end of the day, I know who I am. But it can hurt when someone thinks poorly of you. I am not dramatic about it, but if it’s someone I care about, it can hurt my feelings. Although, why would I want to be anything else but myself when I’m so cool? My mother is so hardworking. I love her so much. If my mother wasn’t there, my sister, my brother, and I would have dealt with a lot worse. I love how she stands up for herself. I see a lot of my mother’s qualities in me. We can bump heads. My siblings and my mother are my community. I don’t have to hide anything around them; I don’t need to make an impression on them; they know me so well. Not a lot of people can say that their family is their favorite people, but for me, that’s true.

What do I want to see change? I want more art out there. I also want good people in power instead of people who just think about themselves and their money. I want people to see my art. I want people to get it, to feel connected. You can get really personal and have art still be universal.

- Nate

Untitled, 2025 By Nate

D

I

tend to worry about the little things. My dream is to be happy. I dream of skateboarding with friends, just laughing, and having the ability to relax for a few moments.

of donovan by danny arenas

Portrait

I am still trying to see who I am as a person. I am still finding that out. I know what my interests are, but I don’t want that to define who I am. What I do know is that I ask a lot of questions; I am curious.

I’m sixteen years old. I grew up in Queens and Brooklyn and my mom and I live in Harlem now. Growing up was a rocky road. Socializing and handling my emotions was always something that was challenging for me. My mom is my superhero. She never gave up on me. She made sure I had a good childhood. Our living situation was not the best, and she made sure I had fun as a kid.

When I was four, my mom got me a big red keyboard so I wouldn’t bounce off the walls. I would go on piano apps to learn songs. She influenced and supported my dreams to play music. In middle school, everyone wanted to be a basketball player. My mother said, “You don’t need to go down that road.” She thinks that a lot of colored boys are shown only one choice. My mother wanted me to avoid stereotypes.

I play the guitar, piano, ukulele, trombone, and I recently picked up the bass. I am proud that I play instruments. It could take me a few days to learn a new song, or it could take me a couple of seconds. It’s all about practice, and the way you practice - patience.

People see me as a good friend. I like to listen to the emotions of others and what’s going on with them. I don’t dismiss people’s feelings. Basically, one of the biggest priorities as a friend is checking on their mental state. It’s important to know that people are not just bad or good. We all make mistakes, and there are a bunch of circumstances and events that influence a person’s actions. We shouldn’t make people feel unwanted. People see things very one-dimensional, but actually things are complex. I tend to worry about the little things. My dream is to be happy. I dream of skateboarding with friends, just laughing, and having the ability to relax for a few moments.

- Donovan

Untitled, 2025

By Donovan

I see myself as an artist.

Sometimes I get into a mindspace and start imagining, mostly based on space anime I’ve seen. I want to create my own universe; a cosmic warrior, an intergalactic guardian—that’s how I see myself.

Portrait of god by zachary maxwell stertz

You don’t want to make assumptions about anyone. It may require a mental exercise to catch yourself before you assume. I think it has to come from the heart, to be truly curious about others. This can really stop stereotyping.

I see myself as an artist. Sometimes I get into a mindspace and start imagining, mostly based on space anime I’ve seen. I want to create my own universe; a cosmic warrior, an intergalactic guardian—that’s how I see myself.

Others may just see a weird black kid. That doesn’t matter to me. I don’t really worry how people see me. Life is too short to be mean to people, or to yourself.

I’m a Bronx kid. Both my parents were homeless. It was a little weird growing up. When I was five, my stepdad was incarcerated for seven years. It was hectic; I was young and learning. It was a very delicate period in my life.

Growing up, my mom was strict. But she supports me and my art. My grandfather, may he rest in peace, I always think of him. He was a Vietnam veteran, a Marine. He was a motivation for me; he encouraged

me and gave me advice. My uncle is my biggest inspiration. He is a strong man. He just keeps going despite health issues.

When I think about my community, I will say Art Start is community for me. There have been a few iterations for me. I joined in 2017, then years later, again. We took trips, learning together about artistic fields. We respect each other and don’t get in the way of each other’s creativity. High school was another good community for me. If I see my high school friends now, in person, I get sad. It’s different now. School is over; we’re all grown up. I haven’t seen them in a long time.

A dream for myself is I would like to do animation and put it on YouTube. I know some of the material I’ve done needs to be made into digital art, and there are other things I need to learn. There’s a deeper meaning to the art I want to create. I want people to know me, and I would be so proud of myself if I could inspire the next generation of kids.

- “God” Daysean

I’m a student at Art and Design High School, majoring in Architecture. I’m proud of this because I am receiving a good education, and not many females of color are in the architecture field.

By Zachary Maxwell Stertz 2024

Portrait of chava

I’m 16 years old and I grew up in Brooklyn, Windsor Terrace. My neighborhood was always quiet, which is why I liked it. Although there wasn’t much around it but the park, I still enjoyed growing up there and have good memories. I wouldn’t change anything about my childhood because my parents raised me around my siblings. They are my half-siblings, but I never addressed them as that. They have always just been brother and sister to me. Some people have a hard time accepting new family members, but the correct exposure and the fact that we were young made it easier to bond.

When I was a kid my mom would take me to the office with her, which I loved. It made me feel special being the only kid in that office, almost like I was famous. I’ve always looked up to my mom. I don’t say that because she’s my mom but because she’s the most successful out of her whole family. She carries herself as a woman of high value. She’s very respectful. Even when she’s upset, she’s able to express that in a professional way. She doesn’t allow people to stop her from being her best self.

I’m a student at Art and Design High School, majoring in Architecture. I’m proud of this because I am receiving a good education, and not many females of color are in the architecture field. My parents allowed me to choose my own path and have helped me accomplish what I want out of life. They don’t force me to go down a certain path. They let me choose my own major and school, doing what makes me happy.

My dream is to be an entrepreneur and not work for people. I don’t want to be struggling to survive, working a job I’m not happy working. I plan on going to college, and with the right spirit and support, I can achieve my dream. My mom always supports me, even if I do change my dream. I want to live comfortably, not rich but well off. This would make me feel like I have succeeded in life.

- Chava

2025 By

Chava

Untitled,

Environment and MaSS Incarceration in communities of color

The environments in which children grow deeply shape their socio-emotional health and development, setting the stage for how they approach their understanding of themselves and their future. Prevailing mainstream stereotypes, lack of resources and opportunity, substandard schools, concentrated poverty, and exposure to violence are often underscored by multigenerational family and community trauma, all disproportionately affecting the development, growth, and mindset of many young people of color. The majority of young people participating in this project described their neighborhoods as something to survive or overcome. Some described them as violent, and others likened their upbringing to feeling like being stuck in mud, or being in the trenches.

The neighborhoods in which many young people of color wake up each morning often have higher rates of crime and are subject to greater police surveillance. Stressful dynamics exist between youth and law enforcement. That stress compounds. Day in and day out, young people don’t see the growth, viable progress or opportunity in their neighborhoods. What they do observe is a large number of family and friends entering the justice system. In 2023, 49% of New York State prisons were occupied by Black people. Emotionally and psychologically, youth of color must endure these disproportionate and devastating rates of mass incarceration playing out every day, year after year, impacting their mental well being and future orientation.1

1 Johnson, L. (2023). Trends in the New York State Prison Population: 2008-2023 Data Collaborative for Justice.

It’s not difficult to understand why a young person in this environment might approach each day with a survival mentality. Research shows that any involvement or proximity to involvement to the criminal justice system increases the chances of further justice-system involvement. 2 If this statistic plays out in a young person’s life, the consequences of incarceration can be severe. Convictions further undermine their life’s trajectory by interfering with school completion and job placement, not to mention the social, emotional and cognitive development interrupted by the trauma of system involvement and family separation.3 The subsequent label that comes with being justice-involved also carries severe consequences. Labeling Theory infers that the power of labels, particularly shaming and stigmatizing labels, further separates justiceinvolved persons from society. Our impressions of ourselves are shaped by how others treat us, which in return helps to shape our constructions of social identity.4 The label can be internalized.

Given the environmental stresses many young people of color experience from an early age, it’s clear that much needs to change. Drawing on Dr. Shawn Ginwright’s theory of Healing Centered Engagement, we can start by supporting their creative imagination and sense of possibility for their success, subverting labels and stigmas that consistently threaten their self-awareness and self-determination.

We as a society must support and encourage the imagination, dreams, and ideas of young people of color, along with providing tangible opportunities and consistent, safe spaces for their voices and talents to thrive and be incorporated into our society, as a whole.

Danny Arenas, LMSW, Artist Director of Programs and Impact, Art Start

2 Liberman, A. & Fontaine, J. (2015). Reducing Harms to Boys and Young Men of Color from Criminal Justice System Involvement. Urban Institute.

3 Johnson, L. (2023). Trends in the New York State Prison Population: 2008-2023. Data Collaborative for Justice.

4 Skinner-Osei, P., Mangan, L., Liggett, M., Kerrigan, M., Levenson, J. (2019). Justice Policy Journal, 16(2).

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