IT'S CAUSE HE'S BLACK (2025)
I’ve always been a talker before I’ve been an artist. When I became an artist, all of my work still started with writing because my inspiration always came from things I wanted to say. Even though I never considered myself a writer, my poems, journals, and prayers became the starting point for everything I created.
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At first, I would visualize my words and translate them into an image, keeping the meaning to myself while letting viewers see what they wanted. After a while, that wasn’t enough. As a talker, I wanted people to know what I was feeling when I made the piece. This past summer I went through a lot of hardship and had an overwhelming need to release my thoughts before I imploded. That’s when the words themselves started to become the image.
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Every piece I make is layered: the first layer is the poem, which is the point of the piece. The second layer is a prayer, because God is always my source when it comes to art. The third layer is a stream of consciousness to capture the moment exactly as it was. Stacking these layers turns my words into the artwork. Even though they aren’t legible, creating with the very feelings that shaped the image has been the most therapeutic thing I’ve ever done.
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For this piece, I wrote the original poem back in October 2020. My sister needed to create a video book for her college class in just a few hours. At the time I was working in animation, had just brought home a black cat, and was surprised by how many people truly believed he was haunted simply because he was black. Since it was October, I quickly wrote a story about how black cats are treated.
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She ended up getting an A+ because it was a way to explain racism without directly naming it, making it more palatable for parents and kids. That story stayed with me.
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Years later, when I was deciding which piece to begin in this new style, I had a dream of an abundance of black cats. It reminded me of that story, and I knew instantly this had to be the first one.​​
Poem:​
Why do y’all do the black cat like that?
I’m telling you now it’s only cause it’s black.
What’s the difference between this cat & all cats?
Nothing at all, this cat’s just black.​
It’s fine if you don’t like all of the cats,
But it’s wrong to act like the black cat’s bad.
’Cause what’s the difference between this cat & all cats?
Nothing at all, this cat’s just black.
They say it's bad luck if a black cat walks past.
And they’re always the ones to get adopted last.
But what’s the difference between this cat & all cats?
Nothing at all, this cat’s just black.
They can have the same toys,
They can eat the same kibble,
But these cats are kittens
& this one’s the devil.
But what’s the difference between this cat & all cats?
Nothing at all, this cat’s just black.​
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If that wasn’t the only reason I wouldn’t care,
But I just like to keep things fair.
Cause what’s the difference between this cat & all cats?
Nothing at all, this cat’s just black.​
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At least they don’t know because they’re just cats.
But I bet if they did, it’d be hard to be black.
When people treat you bad it’s hard not to react,
Especially ’cause they only treat you bad ’cause you’re black.​​
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Cause the only difference between this cat & all cats?
Nothing at all this cat just happens to be black
Prayer:​
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Dear God,
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I pray that all things Black and alive
can see their beauty
no matter how badly the world treats them.
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I pray that You keep them safe,
protected,
and filled with love.
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I pray that You show them
the privilege of being chosen to be different.
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I pray that You equip them with the tools they need
to operate in a world
where Black is met with fear and skepticism.
I pray that You strengthen their communities,
provide them with the necessary things
to live an abundant and full life.
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I pray that they always feel
the beauty of being Black.