Dawoud Bey, Kevin, South Shore High School, 2003, Chromogenic print, Courtesy of the artist, Rhona Hoffman Gallery, and Gorney Bravin + Lee

Interview Excerpt

Audio: (2.3MB mp3 file; 1 minute 59 seconds)

I look up to my uncle, 'cause he, um, took responsibility for his three sons after his mother... their mother was on drugs. And, she got sent to jail for selling drugs and, um, he almost got his kids taken from him 'cause of her. But, he got 'em back, and he's been raising all three of them for twelve years now by himself. And I look up to him as being the independent and strong man that I know I want be one day, and take responsibility for my kids. I wouldn't look up to my father for that, 'cause... he doesn't have none of his kids with him. I mean, he ain't been responsible like that. Like my uncle's kids, they're respectful because they're scared of their dad, and so they're gonna respect him. But, I could disre... I could be really disrespectful at times, 'cause I don't have nobody there that I'm afraid of and I know is gonna get on me or somethin'. I'm kinda like my dad a lot, in a lot of ways, 'cause he's disrespectful and I hear too he had a bad temper, like me. Alright, mostly I disrespect women, but I'll never hit 'em though. I may talk a lot but, I've never hit a female in my life. My momma says sometimes I could… there's gonna be consequences for me... I'll, probably, end up in jail or something, or hurt. I believe it but it don't worry me. And the only part that worries me is going to jail, 'cause in jail... it's like being tortured—alive—and, I feel that if you goin' to end up in jail you might as well just die. Ain't no sense in going through that pain. It's better to be dead than being tortured.