CJ: Black Innocence
Photographer: Tre Butler
The innocence of black boys has always been secured by the limits of their curiosity. A curiosity they shouldn’t chase past a certain line though. But sometimes they still do, innocently. As a boy, I knew when my questions carried me too far out into the deep.
While younger, we knew when to ask questions, and when to be quiet. Mamma used to tell us to hush our mouths or stay in a child’s place. At such fragile ages, we wanted everything to make sense. CJ wanted Tre’s camera to make sense. So he stared into its lens and asked questions until it did.
The world is our unfinished puzzle piece. A Lego set that we’re willing to spend hours putting together, with breaks for a Capri Sun in between. We learned how to play with and build blocks before we were old enough to even pronounce “gentrification.”
The beauty of a black boy’s innocence. At such young ages, we’re force-fed answers to questions we didn’t even ask. When our curiosity is manipulated and innocence is taken.
We need people who will value our curiosity. Stretch it and fill it with the right things. Protect and give to it. Teach us to ask the right questions and only give us answers our little ears are strong enough to hold. We don’t need hard truths at such soft ages. It’s okay to be gentle with us. It’s okay to treat us as if we break easily.
There’s both an innocence and curiosity I strangely connected with whenever watching “Boyz N The Hood” & a young Tray invited Ricky and Dough-boy to inspect a dead body in the bushes on their walk home. The boys shouldn’t have been there. But the body shouldn’t have been there either. Black boys don’t know when to shield their eyes. We see everything and write them on our scars for memory. But if I can control what a black boy looks at, I will always show him himself. I will show him who I am, because I am him.
If a black boy stares at you with a committed curiosity and asks for your name, stare back at him. Tell him yours and respond by asking for his. Even if his childlike attention span fades or leads him elsewhere, still engage. Quench his curiosity and feed it with just enough; and if he steps in front of your camera, capture it.
Tre captured CJ’s innocence.
Told by: Kwon
