SEE ME BECAUSE
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 12, centers youth whose lives have been affected by incarceration and the justice system. We collaborated with participants from the Center For Community Alternatives in Brooklyn, New York. Over the course of ten weeks, 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
See me becau
becauSe
I am currently working on a clothing brand called Prodigy Society. I see myself as a prodigy. I see myself as someone who has been through a lot of setbacks, and I am a strong, adaptable person that will overcome all those setbacks. There’s a lot of opportunity out there. You just have to get involved.
By Zachary Maxwell Stertz 2023
Portrait of Shemor
My grandfather is a great story teller. He has a unique way of telling a story. He might tell you a story and you are there listening, thinking where is this going?, and by the end you see the message he is trying to portray, and it’s always going to be about life. I see myself in my grandfather. A hard worker, able to overcome.
I grew up on a small island in the Caribbean. Growing up I didn’t have the things kids generally have. We had to make it work. Me and my dad moved here during COVID. I don’t know how it was before, but COVID caused me to be isolated. After it passed, I became a bit more social. Brooklyn is different for me. It took me a while to adjust.
I ended up in the CCA program after a fighting incident. I didn’t look for trouble but it found me. I used to fight a lot when I was younger. I was defending myself. That’s all in the past. I’ve changed a lot. I’ve learned a lot of skills. I always strive to be better. I am trying to go down a different path. I am figuring out what I
actually want for myself and not just following. Even the school system can just create followers. Not a lot of people follow a path they truly want or follow their own ideas.
I am currently working on a clothing brand called Prodigy Society. I see myself as a prodigy. I see myself as someone who has been through a lot of setbacks, and I am a strong, adaptable person that will overcome all those setbacks. There’s a lot of opportunity out there. You just have to get involved. I want to achieve freedom, financial freedom, and freedom for my family and friends. When I picture myself being free, mentally, I also see myself as the person that can help other people achieve freedom by developing a whole other mindset.
- Shemor
I’m a poet and I want my poetry to be artistically expressed in a way people can read and take their own stories from it while also feeling that it’s coming from the experiences of a Black, Caribbean woman in New York City.
By Zachary Maxwell Stertz
Portrait of Shonnae
If everything feels the same, it’s not art. I’m a poet and I want my poetry to be artistically expressed in a way people can read and take their own stories from it while also feeling that it’s coming from the experiences of a Black, Caribbean woman in New York City. Everyone interprets things differently. When you see a Basquiat painting, you know it’s his. It just speaks volumes. That’s what I want to do in my poetry. I don’t want it to be just written words. I want it to be art that feels like me.
York is very unique. It builds character and you get tough at a young age. As a woman growing up in New York, I feel like you can’t grow into your femininity because you have to learn how to protect yourself at a young age.
How do I see myself? I am Black and Caribbean, but that is just demographics. That’s not to take away from the beauty of being a Black person and a woman, but I hate to box myself in, especially with those marginalized demographics that were assigned to me. I just want people to see me. Firstly, I am me. That’s how I first identity- as Shonnae. I am probably one out of seven Shonnaes in the world. You can google me. I love the way my name is spelled. I love the way it sounds. I love everything about it.
I grew up in Jamaica, Queens. Since 2018, I’ve lived in Brooklyn, but I moved a lot in my childhood. Growing up in New
Growing up in this environment has influenced me a lot and how I want to impact other people. I want to be a billionaire and use it to bless others. I literally dream about having trauma centers for PTSD in the hood. I would love to have these facilities in any area where gun violence is traumatizing Black people at such extreme rates. I want recreational centers for Black boys so they can read in peace without being bullied and teased because that’s not the cool thing to do. I want centers where people can obtain counseling for free. I want the money so I can impact lives with job placements, internships, and technical positions. You think there isn’t a smart Black boy from the hood that can code his ass off? Absoluely, there is.
- Shonnae
In twilight's embrace, love unfurls
A symphony of hearts, in a dance full of pearls.
Whispers of passion, like a gentle breeze
Ignite the soul, set ablaze with ease
Moonlight cascades on a canvas of dreams,
Where love's melody, in soft echoes, streams.
Eyes meet, a universe within a gaze,
Uncharted realms, where passion plays.
Silken words, like petals, softly fall,
Entwined in a dance, an intimate call.
Hearts entangled, a tapestry of desire,
A fervent flame, an eternal fire.
In every heartbeat, a love story is told,
A saga of passion, timeless and bold.
Through the echoes of time, our love will last,
A symphony of emotions, beautifully cast.
- Shonnae
Colors in Your Flame
My dear flame,
I know you are in pain.
Like a window, you embody the pane.
That the light in your color burns in your sleep.
Slowly vanishing, but dare not weep.
But not the rest where you eventually awake,
The kind where you eternally quake. In silence.
Your flame attracts those who want to see you cry
So they extinguish your light dim your shine
To see you die.
Yet, you override.
Yet, You live.
- Shonnae
I don’t identify with the violence here, however, I do feel part of a community. I know everyone around here. We are all together. We are all family here. If you are my friend or family, I’m going to help you. I want to help all my family and friends. We can make the world a great place.
By poe picasso 2023
Portrait of kareem
I don’t know or care how people see me. I’m the only person who can change how I am. I can’t say anyone inspires me. I have to motivate myself. My brain is my main source of my identity.
I’m seventeen, born and raised in Marcus Garvey Houses and I’ve been living there ever since. Back in the day, I played with kids in the neighborhood and I am still friends with them. We used to play basketball using a big garbage can. Sometimes we used a little basket and just cut out the bottom. We really grew up in the mud. It’s shaped me growing up out here.
There’s one thing I would love to changethe violence, It hasn’t gotten better. It’s getting worse.
There’s a lot of violence, shooting, fighting. I’m not violent, but the neighborhood is. You have to watch your back and have your eyes open. You can’t be lacking. You never know what can happen. Here today and gone tomorrow. People get hurt out here. That doesn’t need to happen. I don’t know how this can change, but it has to happen.
I don’t identify with the violence here, however, I do feel part of a community. I know everyone around here. We are all together. We are all family here. If you are my friend or family, I’m going to help you. I want to help all my family and friends. We can make the world a great place.
I also dream of getting rich and getting out of the hood. I want to make sure we move to a better environment. I am in eleventh grade and want to go to trade school so I can also teach people. I will make sure I get my dream.
- Kareem
shaleek
I am proud I have this talent of drawing. It helps me stay calm and it keeps me going.
Portrait of shaleek still from video 2023
I’m confident, funny, smart, and creative. I don’t know how other people see me. I feel like most people are fake, so I can’t speak about how they see me. I know how I see myself. I grew up in East New York. Growing up, I was close to my sister. I drew my first portrait when I was six years old. It was a picture of my grandmother. She still has it. She kept it. I wanted to show her my talent and she loved it.
Now, it’s my kids who inspire me. I have twins. They are one year old. They help me stay strong and keep me going inside. They are brave, smart, and helpful. With kids, I think of the community we are living in a lot and I want to be somewhere better. I want to get away. I’ve been here so long, I need a change.
Currently, I am focused on my family and myself. I want to get my GED. It will feel good to achieve this goal. I will feel happy, like I did it. My family tells me I can make it. They say I have to work for it. I believe them and I am taking their advice.
This world is crazy and God has spared my life. I think now that if I keep doing my art, I see my future being great. I see myself being rich, how I want to be. I am proud I have this talent of drawing. It helps me stay calm and it keeps me going.
- Shaleek
By poe picasso
I am proud of my life.
To wake up everyday is a blessing in itself - to go to school, just to be here.
Portrait of trill
I am fourteen. I’m young, but I’ve seen a lot. I moved from Red Hook to Brownsville in 2014. It’s more rough out here. It’s the trenches. There’s a lot going on in these streets. There are going to be ups and downs in our community, but we need to bounce back. Black-on-Black violence needs to stop.
I see myself as a young man, someone who is looking for something within himself. I want to go places. And I would love to be in the Bahamas, eating steak and drinking an ice tea. I inspire myself to do everything. My mother too - she inspires me. I tell myself, I gotta make it! I gotta have my own house and live lavishly. I want a good job where I make at least $100,000 a year by the time I am twenty-five years old and invest in stocks. I go to a career development school, and I’m in an electrician class. At my school, you could choose a class that can take you far in life. You never know.
People see me as chill, cool and out of the way. I am in my own lane. I agree with them. I don’t bother anyone. If you don’t know about a person then dont judge them. A lot of people may see me
as a hoodlum or loud just because of where I am from, but there’s more to me than that. I am proud of my life. To wake up everyday is a blessing in itself - to go to school, just to be here.
- Trill
I see myself as a person that finds enjoyment in being alone and watching the world. Everything I do is with the intention to see what is happening around me. Seeing is my identity.
Portrait of tygue
By Zachary Maxwell Stertz
Photographs by Tygue
I see myself as a person that finds enjoyment in being alone and watching the world. Everything I do is with the intention to see what is happening around me. Seeing is my identity. I have alway been this way. People see me as a quiet person, not doing much, just chill. Yes I am quiet, but I do a lot. I just don’t express that outwardly. You have to spend time with me to know that.
Making art helps me because it allows me to find a way to express myself through my work and not just with my physical body. In the last few years I have matured so much. I’ve learned a lot of lessons, one being to not depend so much on other people but to depend on yourself as the default option. You will get further. It’s always been a missing piece of a puzzle of my life to figure out what I want to do. Right now in my life, I’m pursuing many interests. Photography and cooking are two of them.
I am also building my confidence.You have to keep pushing through. Life is going to inevitably be difficult but if you can find ways to manage you will be okay. I enjoy time alone, and doing little things like cooking, which acts like
a stress reliever. It’s the small interests I have found that help me cope.
Looking towards the future I realize that financial stability is important but it won’t mean much If I can’t use my confidence to help other people. Younger people need guidance to stay in the right places. I realize this from my own experience. Many adults I have worked with have gotten me from one place to another. This has shown me that if I can get from point A to point B, I can make it all the way to point Z.
- Tygue
Photographs by Tygue
jaylen
I know who I am. I am not concerned about changing people’s minds.
Portrait of jaylen still from video 2023
I don’t let people’s words get to me. I try not to even get into how people see me or identify me. However you choose to identify me, that’s you. I know who I am. I am not concerned about changing people’s minds. Growing up in South Jamaica Queens wasn’t easy. It has its good and bad. It’s not a great environment, nor is it the worst, but a lot of bad influences.
My mom has been an inspiration. She never stops. She does everything for her family. She has an ambition, a hustle. I go back and forth between living with my mom and my dad. I took some of my mom’s traits. I focus. I have morals and boundaries with people. I am determined, supportive, and I feel supported. I also appreciate my dad. He prepared me a lot for the real world. He taught me that people of our skin color don’t have the same privileges as others. We get treated another way. We have to move differently. We can die just from regular, everyday situations, and from the system.
Ever since my grandparents passed, I have been the man of the house. I’ve been dealing with pressure and weight on my back since I was young. I want to buy my mom a house. I don’t want her to ever have to worry about her lights being cut off. I want to get my family situated. I am determined and motivated to change my family’s situation through my music. People have eyes on me, as a rapper, but I don’t let people’s negativity get to me or let them trick me out of my spot.
I have a dream to break my family’s curse. It’s up to me. I have to focus on my goals, stay positive and avoid the negative. The mind is key.
- Jaylen
Portrait of jameel
by poe picasso
To find true happiness and to live without worry is a dream I have.
Portrait of Sii-aire
By Zachary Maxwell Stertz 2023
To find true happiness and to live without worry is a dream I have.
I grew up in Queens. Then, we moved to a small town in Georgia for a few years before moving back to New York. I loved living in Georgia. I still remember the houses there. They were big! Once, when my sister and I were playing, it started raining and I thought something bad might happen. I told her that we should go inside. Then lightning struck the tree where we were standing. The tree fell and damaged my mom’s car. For me this was a cool experience because it showed me that I need to listen to my gut feeling.
My mom inspires me. Any tough situation she is in she manages to find a way to make it through. She has taught me how to deal with anger, relax, and think through solving a problem. I turn my emotions into creativity. I make creatures and figures, and I love to play the piano. Piano is fun and easy for me. I like music, songs, and the sound of the piano. I also love playing video games. I’m proud of my ability to learn things quickly. I have a good memory.
Ever since being back in New York, I feel less motivated to be around people. I feel that people don’t see me. They don’t listen to what I say. Most people see me as quiet, but if you get to know me and I get comfortable with you, I am an open book.
I want to be able to express myself. I am not a bad person. People make assumptions before getting to know someone. They can be negative, they can bother others, and make fun of them. I would like to change this. Everyone is their own person. But you have to talk to people to change negative stereotypes. Maybe I will become someone who leads or motivates others to make this change. But people follow the famous and I am not famous. If I were famous, I would spread positive vibes. There is too much negativity.
- Sii-Aire
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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