I've just returned from vacationing in what
is undeniably the most eclectic and liberal city in the United States,
San Francisco. It's no secret that this city is a cultural melting pot
boiling at extreme temperatures. Because of this, exotic looking people
are a dime a dozen here. This is a place where you can catch the eye
of a hot man on the street and not be certain whether he's mixed with Asian,
Latino, Middle Eastern, or if he just has a really great tan. Not that it
matters, because his shear existence is proof that collaboration between cultures
is a beautiful thing.
Along these lines, there was one thing about this fabulous
city that left me with a bitter sweet taste in my mouth. Where the
brothas at? Y'all? As a black man, I couldn't help but to notice
the near absence of African- Americans in San Francisco. We are few and far among the sea of
olive, tan, and brown skin tones walking the streets. This begs several questions. In a city where the average
one-bedroom condo in a no thrills neighborhood is in the $600K to $700K price
range, what is the true state of race relations in America? Does this country still
deny us the opportunities to achieve the economic equality as our cultural counterparts?
Many cultures (including Caucasians) in Americarely on networks of support
systems to sustain an expected level in quality of life. Have we established these support systems in our
community? I don't know. This is all way too deep for me at this
time. I'm supposed to be on summer hiatus from this website.
Anyways, I did enjoy my trip. Got to take tons of pics,
including the one of the Golden Gate Bridge above. And with thoughts of cultural integration on my mind I was
inspired to embark on a new photo endeavor while I was there. For now, I
think I'm going to use "Walks of Life" as the project's working
title. What? You say you want to see some of it? It's still
very much in the conceptual phase. But, okay, here's a sneak peak.
Walks of Life: San Francisco 2007
Can you imagine stepping foot in another man's shoes, if only for a brief moment? Would you even try?
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