I am not that boy in the hood.

Unconscious bias is a phrase that has been synonymous with the BLM movement of 2020 and before. The term evokes debate, thought and reflection. In the time of Covid 19 and the brutal slaying of George Floyd in the USA in 2020, racial tensions were heightened to a fever pitch that erupted in violence and an outpouring of immense grief that crossed the colour bar. Another black man had been slayed at the hands of police brutality. Yet, the same issues that led to the arrest of George Lloyd are still prevalent today in 2021.

A young man who happens to be black and is walking through his community in a hoody will undeniably be profiled. Whereby he could be a straight (A) student, there is a high chance that just by his attire let alone his ethnicity a bias has been imposed on him by those who perceive him based on their own usually racist internal bias. “I am not that boy in the hood” is a painting that gives a nod to all those young men who face repeated discrimination and bias on a daily basis. Clothes are a means of self expression and yet sadly the hoodie has come to symbolise and demonise young men, regardless of ethnicity. A black boy has the added shackle of his attire defining him as someone who is a threat. Know your own bias in order to be part of the change.

MediumOil on board Size36cm x 48cm x 2.5cm [Private Collection]Year2021