"One of the things that white students will always note is that all black students sit together at lunch," explains Julian O'Conner, participant in the moving literary project, "Face Forward: Young African American Men in a Critical age."
O'Conner is one of 39 young African-American males profiled in the publishing debut of photographer and author Julian Okwu '87.
"Face Forward" celebrates the achievements of these extraordinary men, simultaneously describing how they have overcome stigmatisms in our racially striated society. Through word and image, the character of these individuals are transferred to the reader.
The finesse and honesty with which Okwu achieves this is truly amazing. There are no condemnations, no accusations and no stereotypes -- only candid profiles packed with genuine feeling.
They are poets and fire fighters, students and teachers, fathers and homosexuals. They come from Little Rock and Harlem, and were obviously assembled with care to create this great celebration of African-American achievement.
Each individual profile differs tremendously from the rest, reflecting Okwu's non-standardized, "take it as it comes" approach to interviewing his subjects.
While the lives profiled are all remarkably different, there is one theme that alights in the stories of all the men -- their encounters with racism.
In the introduction (what could be considered a profile of himself) Okwu explains his motivation for making the book. The reason is shocking, with a disturbing punch line that throttles from the page, piercing the reader's sympathy:
"There I stood on the corner of Valleyo and Columbus streets, with her saliva running down my face, illogically refusing to wipe it off with my bare hands."
Each man profiled in "Face Forward" is able to recall at least one such encounter, recounting with clarity and sentiment the pain of both "overt and covert racism."
In the military and on the sidewalk, the racial wounds suffered by the profiles served to make them stronger; they learned from these experiences instead of nuturing the initial anger.
For most of these men, racial identification has propelled them away from what is perceived as the inevitably negative plight of the black male, and has catalyzed the successful lives that Okwu glorifies in his book.
As he writes in the introduction: "I wanted to introduce the world to another side of African-American men. Although you may not agree with their politics, or understand their frustration, my hope is that you will recognize that they are all positive representatives of a subset of society that has been defined by negativity."
The writing is of excellent quality and delightfully easy to read. There are no bridges between the distinct profiles -- as depicted in the book, the life of each man stands apart, however, when read as a book the stories reflect a greater message of racial identity and motivation.
Primarily a photographer, the visual component of "Face Forward" is equally as impressive as the writing.
Interspersed in the text are 39 black and white, full page portraits, taken by Okwu in contexts familiar to each individual's life.
The technique and subject of the photos make them hard to look away from. Through his photographic techniques, Okwu manages to draw out the character of each subject, making it radiate from the image -- a perfect corollary to the already revealing text.
The book is cohesive and can be read cover to cover as a novel, despite the fact that each profile is distinctive and unconnected in the text.
Each profile is equally moving, from the boy who escaped the crack-infested projects to attend an Ivy League school, to the congressman who served on the Louisiana state senate at age 24.
The obstacles overcome by these individuals are truly heartening -- they will serve as a wake-up call for those caught in the doldrums of uninspired life.
The success of "Face Forward" lies in its approach. The focus of the book is not an indictment of any specific group's responsibility for African-American stature in society. It is simply a poignant statement of the facts, providing portraits of those who have overcome harsh societal barriers.
As for the separate seating of the African-American students, O'Conner remarks on the responsibility of all factions of society for the racial situation, pointing out that "fraternity boys sit together as well."
