Coming up with title for this project was easy. I have thought over and over and over about race and inequality issues in my adult life, but never as much as I have this past year, as racial tensions reached new levels by the month, then by the week and then by the day.

I have been fortunate to have had opportunities to meet and get to know amazing people who do not look like me -- or like anyone from the very, very, extraordinarily white neighborhood in Chicago where I grew up. 

From my wonderful Black teachers at Mt. Greenwood School, to the kids who were bussed there from West Pullman when I was in sixth grade. To the few Black classmates I had in high school and college, to the co-workers and friends I have made as an adult. And finally, raising my daughters to judge not by the color of someone’s skin, but by the content of their character. For me, each of these stages have been a learning curve about race. A chance to open my mind and recognize my own privilege and biases. A chance to listen and do better. A chance to be a better human being. 

Despite lives that have been vastly different and far more challenging at every single stage than my own, my Black friends have allowed me to earn their trust and friendship. I am so grateful for that. I am also grateful for the chance to tell their stories and to learn more about what it’s been like growing up Black in America.

I hope that these portraits and stories can help others to understand just a little bit better, too. I am honored to bring them forth.

Paul Patterson is a friend I literally met on Facebook. We share many of the same friends, so I am not really sure when or how that connection happened. But he and I share common interests in sports, news and especially the Big Ten. The fact that he is a Michigan fan tells you what a nice person he is. I choose my Michigan fan-friends very carefully. One of the things I like most about Paul is that he is genuinely kind and compassionate, always checking in with friends and always speaking wonderfully about his family, including his dad, William G. Patterson, a Tuskegee Airmen.

Paul graciously allowed me to talk to him about his dad, who passed away in 2009. Mr. Patterson served in the all-Black Tuskegee Airman division of the Army Air Forces during WWII. The Tuskegee Airman went on to become instrumental in desegregating the US military, and became peaceful supporters of the Civil Rights Act, which wouldn't be passed until 1964. 

Paul reflected on his dad's life and was so proud to share his memories with me in the first of what I hope will become a regular feature for Jean Lachat Photography.

Thank you so much Paul, for sharing these stories. Your dad would be so proud of who you are. 

Watch the full interview here on YouTube here!