Black Boy Joy

Ever take a look at the “Explore” page of Instagram? While the function is designed to give businesses and profiles more exposure and visibility, Hamilton star Wonza Johnson was disappointed by a lack of diversity. He found that people of color were not as visible on “Explore” pages as white folks, and even though he knew something needed to be done, he wasn’t sure how to make a change.

That’s when a friend told him, “You control the content. You control everything that you see, so how about you be the change.” And thus, Black Boy Joy: A Photo Series was born on his Instagram (@Wonza1) — a series of portraits (not selfies) of himself taken around the country.  While starring in the touring company of Hamilton, Johnson makes a point to work with a different photographer of color in every city to complete the series.

“I wanted to be the change,” Johnson says to Chill. He talks about the importance of seeing a person of color, particularly a Black man, being joyful and sharing his truth, rather than depicted as the aggressor stereotype regularly seen in the media.

Johnson tells us he has been getting messages from Black boys on Instagram thanking him for the series. “The result is we have people loving themselves,” he says. “The more people see themselves represented, they will ultimately feel more worthy of… being on [Instagram] even.”

Photography by Leleita McKill (@Old_Army_Jacket)