Fatherhood

Join Dr. Cheers for a panel discussion with photographers Michael Young, Russell Frederick and Trevon Blondet about the often underappreciated beauty found within seeing Black men as individuals, fathers, role models, and community members, and the inspiring visions of these photographers.

Imani M. Cheers (@drimcheers) is an associate professor of digital storytelling at The George Washington University. She is also the Director of Academic Adventures for Planet Forward. Dr. Cheers received her B.F.A from Washington University in St. Louis and an M.A. in African Studies and a Ph.D. in mass communication and media studies from Howard University. Dr. Cheers is an award-winning digital storyteller, director, producer, and filmmaker. As a professor of practice, she uses a variety of mediums including video, photography, television, and film to document and discuss issues impacting and involving people of the African Diaspora.

Michael Young (@myoungphotography) is a street and documentary photographer born and raised in Brooklyn, who currently resides in the Bronx. His work has been featured in The New York Times and exhibited at The Bronx Documentary Center. Michael is also a curator and contributing photographer for the Instagram feed Everyday Black America.

Russell Frederick (@rfrederickphoto) is a Brooklyn-born self-taught visual activist of Afro-Panamanian heritage who has been photographing for thirty years. He is best known for his visual narratives of the African diaspora, and his documentation of his hometown—Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. 

Trevon Blondet (@blackblondeimages) is a Bronx-born visual storyteller who has worked on long-term projects in the Bronx, Puerto Rico, Spain, and Switzerland. In 2013, he began photographing his neighborhood, noticing its changing face. He joined other Bronx photographers in documenting Jerome Avenue as it became transformed a decade ago. Blondet has exhibited in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. He was named a Claremont Healthy Village Initiative Fellow with the Bronx Documentary Center in 2018, where he was involved with community engagement initiatives with the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA).