Boy Freedom 001

Boy freedom

Issue: 001

To the reader, Freedom for me is being able to navigate without the feeling of containment. For example, my dad used to frequently hit me with the slick line “you need to stop running the streets all-night�, I never listened. reflecting on those moments, that time of life was bliss.

That is Boy Freedom and it gave me the little bit peace I could call my own. Now that I am at a turning point in my life, that feeling is returning.

As the sense of freedom

comes and goes, the people and things that deter us from it, claim its only temporary. The non-permanent nature of freedom is a hustle. They are many aspects of life that are working towards imprisoning us. Thats why I believe freedom needs to be constantly chased.

Welcome to Boy Freedom

-Jordan McNairy

Illustrations: Basquiat Vigil

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“Ryan”

“Yung Henry”

“Carl Alki”

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HowNo.do LIGULA MANGA 001

you want your social media and or digital 8

“My digital identity is important to me because it’s an extension of myself; I feel as if social media helps represent myself better to others, where in the real world I have trouble with it. Photography is a very big part of my life and having social media platforms to share my work helps me improve not only my art but also myself as a person.”

-@aniyoke

idenitiy to represent yourself as a whole?

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“It’s hard to say but I’d like to think that social media or digital identity doesn’t matter too much to me. There’s no rhyme or rhythm to what or when I post - social media isn’t that serious. Social media already makes it difficult to see what’s really going on in the lives of others, so I try and refrain from frequently posting and adding to that confusion. My joy comes from keeping my head down and working, which isn’t something I want to share. If I do share things I try to keep it brief.”

-@bijandiego

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A late-night Chinese Restaurant

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#blackboyjoy Model

Daylon Gray

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For the first issue of Boy Freedom, I chose to interview my cousin/roommate. I asked him questions over the period of time that I was making this zine without letting him know the grand scheme of things.

Interview with Kollin

JM: (nothing) KF: I want to be a billionaire JM: well thanks for that. What do you like more, playing videos games or skateboarding?

KF: I like both, I have fun playing games but like to ride around and yeah I don’t know.

KF: I have a question for you, do you like skating or playing that game you play when you’re downstairs?

JM: No comment. Whose interview13 ing who?

KF: You have time until this game loads so hurry.

JM: Whose your favorite Dragonball Z character?

KF: Trunks, in the new show because he defeated Goku Black.

JM: Why do you like video games so much?

KF: Because you can do missions and stuff. I like putting effort into the characters and pretending I am them.

JM: What do you want to do when you’re older?

KF: Scientist, actor, or singer.

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JM: Do you sing as good as your mom?

KF: (laughter as his mom is next to him) No. JM: Why do you want to be a billionaire so bad?

KF: Buy a lot of things, and travel all over.

JM: Where would you travel?

KF: The United States is big so I would start there.

JM: Any advice for the people?

KF: I would say people need to get more sleep.

JM: Well thank you for helping me today.

KF: (proceeds to ignore me to play his new DBZ game)

Open letter: After my15visit to Afro Tech ‘19, I realized the issue of representation in technology has CHAPTER 001 become a crucial step to an ethical future. The way black activists, teach leaders and entrepreneurs alike talked about this concept amazed me. During my experience at Afro Tech ’19 I learned that in the 1940s, the first color photography film was created for commercial use. As innovative as it was, the products were represented by the creators for the target market, white people. The invention was formulated with the intention for people to take photos of their family and friends to savor memories in color. This culturally shifting technology was far from racially inclusive. When developing the color accuracy, the creators used caucasian colored-skin for the standard skin tone. This meant that Black & brown people’s faces showed up as shadows and missed the clarity of colors. A huge population of people in America was unable to participate in the joy of the beginning of a media revolution. Eventually, Black & brown people were able to be seen in the upcoming wave of the expansion of color film photography but not for the reason you’d think. It was not until white furniture-dealers of the 1970’s were upset with the color film because it lacked the capability to capture the details of the mahogany wood. What does this mean for the future? Black & brown people still occupy a small percentage of high-level jobs in technology. The 2015 EEO-1 reports that African Americans represent 1% of employment of Airbnb, Google, and Facebook. Not much has changed since then.

The first issue of Boy Freedom is purposely a metaphor for paying homage to the past of independent publications and film photography. I researched the history of both industries to help learn more about where we are at in media and how we can proceed ethically. The same principle should be applied to technology. Learning about the history of technology helps make sense of issues that might arise. Take A.I. for example, facial recognition is one of the most attractive technologies to the government. There are many opinions on both sides about the ethics of A.I. One side believes it is a threat to privacy, and the other supports national security efforts. Companies like Microsoft, Amazon, and smaller start-ups already signed contracts with government agencies to deploy facial recognition technologies. In the article “Is Ethical A.I. Even Possible”, Cade Metz states, “As companies and governments deploy these A.I. technologies, researchers are also realizing that some systems are woefully biased. This is dangerous because people of color live in fear of the copious amounts of privacy concerns. For example, being identified in a crowd of protesters or being mistaken for another POC could result in being criminalized in an already biased justice system. As a writer, artist, and technologist, I feel it is my responsibility to inform people of the future we could be accepting with representation. I am using this zine as a space to add more dialog the importance to proceed further into the technology revolution with caution.

-Jordan McNairy References: Metz, Cade. “Is Ethical A.I. Even Possible?” The New York Times. March 01, 2019. Accessed June 1, 2019.

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Boy freedom Special thanks you to: Bas Bij Sammy Kollin Nitra Daylon