Everything isn’t always what it seems. That message is especially applicable to how mainstream media and society often perceives Black men.
Oftentimes they’re viewed as a threat and mislabeled due to negative assumptions.
In an effort to shed a positive light on Black men and debunk stereotypes, Tina Knowles-Lawson, and Trell Thomas are executive producers for the docuseries “Profiled: The Black Men,” created in partnership with OWN.
Lawson, who is Thomas’ mentor and close friend, told CBS News, the two always have conversations about race. She said at a time when there were a lot of negative documentaries out about Black men, Thomas confided in her, wishing there was positive content about Black men.
“I said ‘if you don’t see it, create it,’” Lawson said. “I feel like we don’t understand how damaging the negative stereotypes are. How many times has a Black man gotten in the elevator and someone held their purse tighter or locked their doors…and people were afraid of them?”
Thomas told CBS News it was imperative for him to release the series because often other people tell stories of the Black experience and don’t do it correctly.
“I’m from South Carolina, the Jim Crow South and I don’t have to tell you too much about growing up in South Carolina,” Thomas said. “I often tried to be small to not seem threatening and make people feel safe even though I wasn’t bringing harm to a situation. Those stereotypes make us move through the world differently and I want it to free people’s mindsets.”
“Profiled” premiered Feb. 12 exclusively on discovery+. New episodes will air every Saturday through March 5.
Tristan Wilds hosts the series in which celebrities, community leaders, and everyday people provide commentary on Black men and misconceptions about them.
The series includes: Episode 1 “Black Men Are Dangerous,” which premiered Feb. 12; Episode 2 “Black Men Are Absent Fathers,” premiering Feb. 19; Episode 3 “Black Men Devalue Black Women,” premiering Feb. 26; Episode 4 “Black Men Don’t Cry,” premiering March 5.
Dear Fathers, a St. Louis founded community-oriented organization focused on Black fatherhood and brotherhood will be featured in episode 2.
“We’re talking about different things in relation to the platform and fatherhood,” said Jesse Alex, co-founder of Dear Fathers. “In relation to me I don’t have kids so I more so talked about growing up without a dad and how that inspired the platform.”
Alex said he and the other participants, Brad Edwards, Lamar Johnson Jr., and Ricky Hughes Jr., were selected by Thomas who contacted them on Instagram saying Lawson wanted them to be involved.
“She had already followed us on Instagram and reshared some of our posts,” Alex said. “One day she posted about the documentary and I was like, ‘I wonder why she didn’t get us involved.’ Then later that same day they reached out asking us to fly out to LA. We flew out two weeks later and it was pretty dope.”
Once they were confirmed to be part of the series, they booked flights and an Airbnb. When the shooting day came, a driver was sent to pick them up.
While on the ride there, Alex said they didn’t know what to expect or even if they would get to meet Lawson. On arrival, Alex said they went to the makeup room and saw Lawson. When they introduced themselves he said Lawson was already familiar with who they were.
“She knew who we were from following us, but for her to say it in person was kinda cool,” Alex said. “We were back there with her for a minute just chit chatting. Then we went on set for about 45 minutes answering questions. It was one of those ‘wow, we’re actually here doing this’ kind of moments.”
Alex said he’s unsure about what information will be pulled from their conversation, but he’s excited to see how it turns out.
“The excitement is coming back for me because we filmed our segment a minute ago,” Alex said. “We get to see what it looks like and it’s actually coming out.”
Lawson told CBS News she hopes and prays people can start seeing Black men as human in different situations which will potentially cause a positive effect.
“We’re trying to bring people together so that it’s not so much fear because it all seems to be predicated on fear,” Lawson said. “Even if you see our Black men in handcuffs people say, ‘oh well, we were afraid or if they’re pinned down they’re afraid. That mentality has to change.”
For more information about Dear Fathers, visit https://dearfathers.com/.
