HASEF

Large Black Velvet Theater Drape 18x22, Tar Roofing paper (smell), Projection, Sound

This video features interviews with African American immigrants who discuss their views on identity and what black means from American and non-American perspectives in the 21^st century. Many of America’s blacks are descended from slaves whose immigration was a forced and hostile event and still impacts the way in which skin color affects self-perception and worth. The title derives from old census records when individuals were reduced to compiled numbers of letters (not names), either “B” for black or “M” for mulatto, and whether or not being black is a desirable state of existence. The video captures the different and varying features, hair textures, and skin tones manifested in people identified as black.