Using her talents to spark positive change in the world, Nitashia Johnson is a multimedia artist, an alumna of the Rhode Island School of Design and a winner of the 2019 Sony Alpha Female Creator-in-Residence Award. Her work revolves around educating and inspiring those around her. She is a founder of a creative arts after-school youth program called The Smart Project and the creator of The Self Publication—a photographic book series that shares reflections and images from members of the Black community.
Nitashia recently sat down with Photographers Without Borders (PWB) Founder Danielle Da Silva as part of PWB’s ongoing “Storytelling for Change” webinar series. Below are edited excerpts from the discussion which touch on mentoring, self-love, working with good energy and how to photograph political actions and be a good BIPOC ally.
Da Silva: You're an artist, a youth leader and are publishing your own magazine. How did you start on your path?
Johnson: I grew up in a project in West Dallas, Texas. It wasn't the best, but we did what we could to get by. As a kid, I didn't always see the negative things happening. I was positive, and thankfully for my grandma and my step-grandpa, I held my head up high. My granddad told me to keep the innocence inside of me, because he noticed that I had a good spirit.
I grew up moving all over the place. I actually flunked the third grade because the year I stayed with my mom, I don't remember being in school the entire year. It was really disruptive. All of that took a toll on my life. But luckily, I did meet a lot of good teachers and mentors who believed in me—and they pushed me to the next level. I can honestly say that if it wasn't for them and the family members I had around me, I wouldn't be becoming the person I am today. So I'm trying to do the same thing that others have done for me.
Images by Nitashia Johnson
Da Silva: I'd like to talk about your work with The Self Publication. Can you tell us a bit about how you decided to start it, and what it is exactly?
Johnson: I would say my life inspired the magazine, but what really inspired it was when I went to grad school. There, I disconnected from friends and family and everything back in Texas. But I started to see harsh memes and stereotypes about the Black community being shared online. Some of those stereotypes impacted a lot of my friends, as well as myself. My friends were worrying about microaggressions at work, problems within their relationships, how they're viewed, how they have to compromise and sometimes change their voices or their stance to get jobs. It's all very draining on the human spirit.
So I wanted to open up a platform for Black people to talk about themselves as a way to allow other people to relate. That's how The Self Publication began. It's hard, because I do it all alone, but I wouldn't change it for the world. I really love my culture, and I love the idea of people reading it and understanding it.
Images by Nitashia Johnson
Da Silva: How do you find the stories for The Self Publication? And what's some of the feedback you get from folks whose stories are included?
Johnson: When I look for participants, it's either by word of mouth or an online post. It's important to me to include people who are very thoughtful, who care about others, who believe in themselves and who are comfortable enough to share their stories. I don't want to force anyone to do anything. I'm all about good energy. I've met over 28 people with good energy, and they're just all for it. After the book is published, they usually say, "Thank you for allowing me to tell my story." But I thank them for wanting to share those stories with me.
To watch Nitashia Johnson's entire webinar, join our community by becoming a PWB community member. As a member, you'll have access to all "Storytelling for Change" sessions featuring notable photographer storytellers from around the world.