An Interview with: Mercedes Lewis

AN INTERVIEW WITH: MERCEDES LEWIS.

ARTIST & CREATIVE DIRECTOR, SAVANNAH COLLEGE OF ART & DESIGN (ALUMNI).

What embodies ‘blackness in the white landscape’, and what does this look like to you? In my opinion ‘ blackness in the white landscape’ is really most of America. To see that we are still living in a system that still oppresses black people’s freedom is a modern day issue. An example in america would be the NFL. We have so much of our blackness in national sport organizations yet we don’t have the right to take a knee when our people are being killed off the field. Using Colin Kaepernick story of losing his career to speak up for black people losing lives in this country is a prime example of blackness in a white landscape. This example shows how many rights a black person truly has in a national organization controlled by white people. Colin Kaepernick risked his career to fight for black lives and what treated unfairly. The idea that as a Black man that you speak freely for your own people and can lose your own career supports the idea that systematic oppression is modern day. He went against an idea the system had and lost his career.

How are issues of body politics manifested, visualised and framed in the everyday? In the Trump Era things are manifested and framed against the minority. The fact that Trump says statements that supports ideas to assume blacks are less educated reinforces the idea of inequality in our modern day society. President Trump constantly supports & reinforces these false ideas. His racist remarks embodies hateful & ignorant people who actually agree with his statements.

A film like “Get Out” is a visual example to hear a stories directed from the perspective

of the modern day African American is still rare. It’s important that we have the opportunities to have our stories visualized in films from our own perspective to bring truth to the stereotypes and generalizations that are placed upon black people. When we get the chance to see something that we can relate to it’s like being able to share an inside secret. I believe visual stories are vital for our stories to be authentically told to overcome the stereotypes that have been manifested.

In my opinion the media has done more framed dehumanizing and stereotyping. This frames how black lives are sentenced in prison, what rights we can lose and sometimes what life we can lose. The same crimes committed by another race but the sentencing is less harsh. These stereotypes are used when we are sentenced and treated unjustly in this country.

What are the ways / tools / methods that have been used to further reinforce negative stereotypes into society? Our ‘otherness’ is most popular when cultural appropriation from other races. Kim Kardashian receive praise for wearing black hairstyles. Yet its legal in the same country to discriminate against a person wearing dreadlocks when seeking a job. This system has rules created to build a negative stereotype when practiced by African American but gets praise when culture appropriated by other races.

What about the possibility of black liberation? I believe that in order to have black liberation we truly have to believe that we are divine and have our own. This system

was never created for us to succeed. We are most successful if can come together to build our own together to have the freedom that we truly deserve. Supporting black businesses, educating each other, creating our own spaces and supporting one another are small changes that can ultimately help us achieve black liberation.

“Whiteness” in relationship to power in my opinion would be white supremacy. What typifies this in relationship to power would be that white is not put at being at a disadvantage. The fact that they control the government, the economy, the food, education and prison system shows how much power ‘whiteness’ truly has.

What is the applicability of a collective body politić in relation to black trauma? I believe that black trauma can be seen on a physical and mental level of the modern black individual. We are born into a world where it’s common for a black person to experience racism. Mentally & physically our people are being harmed for the color of their skin. Experiencing these things more often than others can bring anxiety, stress and trauma to our people.

Are issues of ‘otherness’ still prevalent in today’s ‘post-racial’ societies? “Otherness” seems to be an issue when practiced by black races but the same practices that are culturally appropriated are praised when practiced by a non black. For example the Kardashians are considered style icons and innovative when it comes to wearing culturally black hairstyles such as corn rolls, bantu knots etc but in the same country its legal to deny black people for requesting to work at a company if their hairstyle is dreadlocks. Both braid and dreadlocks have been apart of black culture yet its still looked down upon in our “post racial” society.

What typifies and justifies ‘whiteness’ in it its relationship to questions of power?