ST. LOUIS — When Lilly Steele used to hang out, it was often in mid-air. The retired circus performer was unemployed for months like so many other Americas due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
She would have taken a construction job if offered. Her resume includes building her own tiny house, proof she can hold her own on a construction site.
Recently a new job came along at a tattoo and piercing business. In-between gigs, with “time for reflection” on her hands, Lilly grabbed her camera and studied portrait photography. Then she began photographing friends and acquaintances of color to spark a conversation about race.
“My project is called, "The Good, The Bad, and The Beautiful," and it's a Black Lives Matter portrait series,” said Steele. “Each person that I photograph, I choose three images and I pair those images with three stories from the individuals.”
Each participant tells personal stories, a good one, a bad one, and a beautiful story.
“Just to hopefully show that we are making some progress, but also highlight that we need to make a lot more progress,” said Steele.
In 2017, when none of The Voice judges turned their chairs, Nathan Graham received encouragement from judge Adam Levine. “Keep at it,” advised Levine. Graham is a Chicago musician, a singer and exceptional guitarist. Because he has friends and family in St. Louis, Graham posed for Lilly Steele’s photos after saying yes to "The Good, The Bad, and The Beautiful."
“I really liked the concept ‘cause it was always, you know, we always get asked the bad stories,” said Graham. “You never get to share any good stories that have happened.”
Graham’s good story involved mentoring a young Black female who wanted to be a rock musician.
“She came in and she wants to learn how to play guitar, but didn't really have any ideas of anyone who looked like her who played rock music. So I started showing her all these artists and she got super excited about it,” said Graham.
Graham’s bad story is a sign of the times, a police stop gone bad after he had left one of his music gigs.
“They stopped me and they asked me where I'd been and all this stuff. They asked me if I knew about any robberies or muggings and before I could answer, I was in handcuffs,” said Graham.
Steele has advice for other white people who want to learn and become part of the solution to one of America’s most challenging issues.
“One thing that I think is important is not to rely on black friends, black people, black community, to teach you all of the things that you should know,” said Steele. “I think it is important to go out and do the research yourself.”
Steele hopes that Instagram followers will find her photos the associated personal stories shared in "The Good, the Bad, and The Beautiful."
“It's a good idea to get more of these stories and experiences out into the world so that more people can understand the everyday reality of what it's like to experience racism.”
To learn more about "The Good, The Bad, and The Beautiful," click here