Being a Black man in America is hard enough. But it’s an even bigger journey to be a Black man developing self-love that actively rejects hyper-masculinity.
This is what actress Andrea Lewis uncovers as she interviews several Black men (and young boys), including many Hollywood stars, for her latest documentary short, Black Men.
Best known as Hazel on Degrassi: The Next Generation and for her web series Black Actress, Lewis has taken on the topic of self-love in the Black community before with her three-part documentary series on Black women and self-love. This time around, she’s investigating how hyper-masculinity, societal oppression and stereotypes influence how Black men relate to each other and to themselves.
“A lot of my work focuses on the theme of self-love and finding inner strength,” she said to Shadow And Act. “But in doing that series [on self-love and Black women], I realized that this was a conversation I had never had with any of the Black men in my life and to be honest I felt ignorant to knowing the ways that Black Men gained and developed confidence. I made this project because I was genuinely curious to hear their stories and I wanted to show real love to all of the fascinating and brilliant black men in my life.”
Interview subjects include actors Shamier Anderson, Allen Maldonado, ex-NFL player Sinorice Moss, Sexy TV‘s Dennis Dortch and many more. The interviews are backed up with evidence from scenes from popular TV shows and films, like Friends, The Wayans Bros., Training Day, and Moonlight among others.
You can watch her three-part series on Black women and self-love on YouTube. Her Black Actress web series can also be seen on her YouTube page and you can learn more about her work at her website.
READ MORE:
Yes! Sterling K. Brown Joins Season 3 Of ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ On Amazon
‘No Place To Be Somebody’: Richard Lawson On Why The Civil Rights-Era Play Still Matters
Photo credit: Andrea Lewis/YouTube
