In the fanfare and feathers of St. Joseph’s Night, it can be easy to overlook the stories being told through the suits, and the power those stories manifest in their wearer.

The spy boy confrontation I shared in the previous post dripped with so much symbolism, and I couldn’t ignore every detail of the scene unfolding right in front of me. You need to see those details too.

In red, white and blue is @flagboygiz of the Wild Tchoupitoulas, and the proud eagle below is @spyboy_t_77 of the Young Generation Black Feather Tribe. I assumed I was just one of many who couldn’t take my eyes off their suits and their whole vibe that radiated Black power, Black defiance, and Black vision. But when I came across Giz’s own retelling of the events depicted on his suit, I knew these two hadn’t caught my eye by chance. Giz describes his concept (much to my delight as writer at @TheAmericanBlackstory) as “the most American story I could tell,” and I insist you read it from him.

Watching these suits and these symbols clash so beautifully and boldly right before my eyes created a much bigger picture than the men wearing them. And I felt so humbled to stand in this place seeing history unfold in fabric and real time.

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where i wandered: