–Text message from former Mind-Builders Community Folk Culture Program Director Jade Banks, July 6, 2020
While developing this issue, we received a text message from Jade Banks. The images burst from the screen, but also the significance of the Mind-Builders legacy and the relationships that sustain the work. Madaha Kinsey-Lamb followed up with us, asking if Furze’s images could appear with her article: “We’re so excited by these [photos] and all he has accomplished since being in the program, and staying connected to Jade Banks as a lifelong mentor.”
We invite educators to think about how they might use these photos to teach about culture, creativity, community, and equity. For example, students can be asked, “What do I see? What do I think? What do I wonder? We also encourage teachers to look at the 2019 (Volume 6) Journal of Folklore and Education on the Art of the Interview and use the resources there to support students in asking, “How can I document my own community?”
–JFE Editors
Stephen Furze is a TV producer, hip-hop artist, and photographer. He was born in Jamaica and moved to the Bronx at age 12. His TV credits include Netflix’s Girls Incarcerated (Associate Producer) Season 2, Queer Eye (Associate Producer), Bravo’s Blind Date (Producer), BET’s 106 & Park (Production Assistant), and ESPN (Motion Graphics Controller). Furze is a University of Vermont graduate and an alumnus of Mind-Builders Folk Culture Program.