Deeply Rooted: Hair and Culture

Jacksonville, Florida is bursting at the seams with talent from Black creatives and Justin Tomlin and Ebony McKnight are part of the explosion. These two photographers showcased their project titled "Deeply Rooted" last week at Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) Kent Campus.

Ebony McKnight and Justin Tomlin

When I arrived, it was like a Black utopia: Black Folk of every age, and Neo-soul and conscious rap music playing the entire time. The photography depicted Black people in their natural state, in the Black-american aesthetic- with a great emphasis on hair.

Locs and afros.

Braids and pics.

Along with the photographs, there were two other parts of the exhibit: two pillars set up in the room. One had a Jet, a couple of Ebony magazines, and a hair pick. The other dawned a du-rag.

I can tell McKnight and Tomlin wanted to praise the range of Black people and show that Blackness is not a monolith, but a spectrum.

“Through “Deeply Rooted,” we aim to illuminate the beauty and intricacy of black hair, embracing all its variations and styles,” said McKnight. “By showcasing a wide array of hairstyles, we recognize and honor the immense importance that black hair holds within our community. It is a symbol of our identity, uniqueness, and self-expression.”

A big take a lot of Black Americans hear, from non-Black people and other people in the diaspora alike, is that Black people don’t have a culture. However, Black people have managed to build a dialect and traditions from the ground up post-slavery that is now appropriated and called “Gen-Z culture/lingo.” It is nice to see Black people being celebrated while in bamboo earrings and wicks instead of being reduced to caricatures. It is important to celebrate us through our own lens, which is what “Deeply Rooted” is about. And Tomlin emphasizes this point.

Photographed by Ebony McKnight

“We’re often told to embrace Eurocentric styles and things of that nature, but with how we executed this project it just goes to show you that we’re not only confident about our hair, but that we’re not going to limit ourselves because of it.”

Some people may call it “ghetto,” but it was refreshing to see Black Americans be shown in a sort of softness. Usually, Black men and women are shown as rough and tough, but the photos seemed to have an air of intimacy to them. The close-ups and the people being close together in the shots showed the community that is at the center of our way of life.

McKnight gave the perfect way to sum up what “Deeply Rooted” represents. “They bring us together, weaving a tapestry of shared experiences and collective stories that have shaped our lives. Together we are ‘Deeply Rooted’.”