Men Moving Mountains By Abena Atiemo
Alvin C. Jacobs Jr.
• Photographer
Known for his work with the Harvey B. Gantt Center, Alvin C. Jacobs Jr. uses his camera to capture the full range of the Black experience around the country. “Most of the events I’m a part of…. I just happen to have a camera. I would want a photographer who cares — not just someone who wants to simply capture a photo.” Jacobs often uses his lens to highlight realities of the systemic injustices often watered down by the state. From documenting the power of community to displaying an intimate view of the intersection of sports and politics, the perspective that Jacobs captures tells more than a story. It highlights voices that are often ignored. “When I began the work, I didn’t have the financial resources to be a philanthropist,” he said. “I needed something to contribute to the struggle and control the narrative. What better way to do that than with a photo or a video? It became my vehicle for change.” Jacobs’ work as a photographic storyteller has created noticeable ripples within the world of photography, and the larger movement of culture as we know it.
Darrel Williams, FAIA
• Co-Founder: Neighboring Concepts
Architecture can be a way to empower individuals, neighborhoods and districts through the built environment. Understanding the power and the struggles of being a Black man in his field, Darrel Williams, a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA), strives to make positive changes in his local community. In an interview with the Charlotte Business Journal last year, Williams reflected on his work, which focuses on the Black community in Charlotte. “When I got into school and began to understand the architecture profession, I was determined to use architecture to do something about communities like the one I grew up in Baton Rouge. Architects are trained to come up with solutions to challenges. As a founding partner of his firm, Neighboring Concepts, Williams uses the intersection of construction and justice to influence positive change within communities in sustainable and reinvigorating ways. Neighboring Concepts collaborated with Parsons Transportation Group and Sasaki Associates, Inc. in the planning and design of the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) South Corridor Light Rail Project. The tagline of Williams’ firm, “transforming communities through architecture,” is an apt description of the work that has benefited this city for years.
Earl Martin, Psychotherapist
• Innate Virtue Counseling, PLLC
From the ever-so-present existence of COVID-19 to the tumultuous political climate in our country, conversations on mental health, particularly in the Black community, have picked up in recent months. One man leading that conversation is Earl Martin, the owner of Innate Virtue Counseling. As a licensed psychotherapy practitioner, Martin works extensively with clients in the African American community and LGBTQIA+ community. “I am a Black gay man that was raised in the South and that intersectionality creates challenges,”Martin said. “I’ve always wanted to create spaces where individuals have that space to be able to explore and identify their experience and their journeys. It is a big passion for me.” A 2015 survey by the American Psychological Association (APA) revealed that only four percent of psychologists in the U.S. were Black/African American. The lack of representation in the field can be a detriment to those seeking help. In 2002, a paper submitted to the APA showed that clients who were matched with therapists of the same ethnicity were less likely to drop out of therapy. In his podcast, “Hats Off Podcast,” Martin and his co-host Courtney Leak discuss the stigma around mental health that exists in many Black communities. “I usually refer people to two episodes in particular. One is called ‘Settle vs. compromise,’ which is about recognizing if you are truly settling in some of your relationships or compromising, because there’s a big difference,” he said. “The second is ‘Secrets Keep You Sick,’ where we talk about the physical and emotional effects of keeping secrets.”
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