Why LOVE? One of my former colleagues and friend, Ibrahem Hasan, created a beautiful and powerful collaborative art book called Love Is Why, which benefits the Brooklyn Democracy Academy. In honor of Black History month, support his work at the link below.
My name is Ibrahem Hasan. I’m a Palestinian-American artist based in New York. I made Love Is Why to raise money to purchase laptops for the Brooklyn Democracy Academy. BDA is a transfer high school for over-age and under-credited students in Brownsville, Brooklyn. Earlier this year, the students of BDA lost their beloved principal Dez-Ann Romain to COVID-19. She was 36. I hope to make this year a little easier for these students; I see their potential, and I want to see them win. Working with BDA’s Dean, Doyle LaShawn, we will distribute the laptops to the students. As the school has been shut down due to the pandemic, these laptops are a step towards the accessible education Dez-Ann Romain dedicated herself to.
The book is a 512 page non-linear experimental storytelling piece: A thank you to my childhood mentors, four black gentlemen I met on Maxwell Street, and Malcolm X. The book is the visualization of their teachings, and the conversations I had with them growing up on the South Side of Chicago— It includes my photography and art alongside contributions from photographers, artists, and writers I respect and love. All powered by Black voices.
