My research question is: How have negative stereotypes affected African American youths?
I want to teach my audience about equality and diversity and how they can help break down stereotypes. I would demonstrate to my audience how it can be destructive to both people and society. I want to inspire African American youths to be proud of their background and culture and to never let negative stereotypes define who they are. My target audience will be African American Youths and Americans. The genre I am considering using to convey my message is a photo essay. A photo essay would be good for me because I am more comfortable with visual storytelling. I think this would be a very powerful way to communicate ideas and emotions. I can contribute to increasing awareness and motivating my audience to engage in critical thought about this significant topic by providing a well-rounded picture of it and utilizing attractive imagery and text. I plan to start by creating a structure to follow so that my project may be organized. My mentor text would be “How One NYC Teen Navigated the Pandemic and Make It to Her Senior Year” by NYT writers Eliza Shapiro and Gabriela Bhaskar.
You write: I plan to start by creating a structure to follow so that my project may be organized. OK, but what structure are you thinking about? The mentor text you choose uses the structure of storytelling and focuses on ONE teen’s story. So will you choose one black youth and tell his/her story in photos (taking the photos yourself)?
ALSO remember, to create a photo essay, you will take the photos. So think about who you will use as subject.