IT'S CAUSE HE'S BLACK (2025)
This piece actually started as me doing my little sister’s homework. She had a college assignment where she needed to make a vook, a video book, in just a few hours, so I helped her out like any responsible big sister would.
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At the time, I had just adopted a black cat, and it was wild how many people genuinely believed he was haunted or bad luck simply because he was black. Since it was October, I quickly wrote a poem about how black cats are treated and animated it into a short children’s style story for her class. She ended up getting an A+, mostly because it explained racism without ever saying the word. It used metaphor in a way that felt safe and digestible for kids and parents, and that stuck with me.
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I originally wanted to turn that story into a children’s book and actually have about half of it drawn. But when I started experimenting with this new visual style, I realized the words themselves deserved to be the artwork. So instead of illustrating the story, I let the language become the image.
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This piece is layered. The first layer is the poem itself. That is the point of the work. The second layer functions like a prayer. The third layer is pure stream of consciousness, capturing the exact moment the piece was made. Those layers are stacked, overlapped, and intentionally obscured until the text stops being something you read and starts being something you feel.
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When I was deciding which piece to start this series with, I had a dream about an abundance of black cats. That immediately brought me back to this story, and it felt obvious that this had to be the first one.
It is the beginning of a larger body of work where words are not explaining the art. They are the art.
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.