In this issue…
Cover + Feature – Charcoal art directors Eva Vidan and Remy Usman explore themes of introspection and identity in this conceptual photo story featuring graphic designer Patricia Ho.
What do you see? – Charcoal asks students what they think their reflection reveals about them.
The Pixelated Brown Mask – Writer Vicki Saeed questions and explores the inherent power dynamics at play when white content creators write characters of color, emphasizing that for some of us "the Struggle™ extends far past our computer screens. "
My Grandmother Carried White Babies on Her Back – Xaulanda Thorpe explores how her grandmother's career as a caretaker to white children affected her own world-view and sense of self growing up.
Blue – In this painting series Annette Montero explores the loss of identity that one may experience from battling with depression and anxiety.
35mm – Film photographer Bradley Noble shares pics of friends and strangers from the nightlife circuit.
Q+A with @blackinshanghai – Photographer Bidemi Palmer discusses her time abroad and the instagram account documenting her experience as a black woman in Shanghai, China.
Painting Faces – Amber Lin finger-paints her way through a series of extra-large portraits exploring the limitations of bound hands and limited palettes.
An Interview with Maisa Gheewala – Charcoal's Meredith McDuffie interviews the Pakistani painter about her instincts, her inspirations, and her intentions.
Half of a Whole – For much of her life Tanya Llanas experienced everything in doubles with her twin sister. But when their comfortable paths diverge, she must confront a newfound solitude and unprecedented separation.
Blood Pact – Patricia Ho explores the significance of the color red in Chinese culture and the relationships—chosen or otherwise—it characterizes.
Music: Tommy Choppa & Bella Kebede – Charcoal talks to two student musicians about their projects and where they're headed.
Love is in the Hair – Writer Meredith Mcduffie on how black hair is black identity and why hair is beautiful, difficult and so much more than, well, hair.