New project highlights the lives of Black men

By Danna Bertel and Kayla Mcgee

As part of the “Hero of a 1000 Faces” project, Alexander Star, NSU alumnus and Emmy-nominated singer and songwriter, will speak in the Adolfo and Marisela Cotilla Gallery on Feb. 21 from noon to 1 p.m. Following his mantra “Give Hope while being Dope,” Star hopes everyone in attendance of “Hero of a 1000 Faces” will do positive things that can change the world.

“I’m happy to be a part of a really strong network of Black creatives using their gifts for the greater good to benefit other people. Being a part of this event and this movement is very much so in alignment with who I am and what I want to achieve during my time on Earth,” Star said.

“Hero of a 1000 Faces” is a project that sets out to to educate the public through the stories of heroes and change the ways people stereotype.

Working as a high school teacher, Gabriel Andrews, “Hero of a 1000 Faces” producer, taught robotics to kids coming from different demographics. Taking the students on a break to enjoy a nice day playing outside, Andrews remembers seeing the students looking like targets as they ran around.

“I remember the latest shooting, I think outside of Minneapolis and I remember going out, we were taking a break from working in the school lab. It was a nice day and they were running around, throwing Frisbees and throwing footballs. I just remember, honestly, just seeing targets. I just saw them carefree, but they had targets on their bodies as they were running,” Andrews said.

Andrews proposed the idea to Michael Anderson, “Hero of a 1000 Faces” producer. Using the skills they excel at, such as video production and editing,  Andrews and Anderson came together to produce “Hero of a 1000 Faces.”

“We thought what can we really do using the skills, the things that we like, the things that we love to do, to really put forward this type of content,” Andrews said. “Get the people to understand that there are some really awesome individuals out there who happen to be Black men. What they contribute and what they do for the society at large is not a reason to be feared, but a reason to celebrate.”

Intending to tell the stories and impact of Black men, the producers of  “Hero of a 1000 Faces” are looking for certain stories to highlight.

“What really stood out in this project for me in particular is that these heroes and these individuals are all around us,” Anderson said. “The roles of 1000 Faces is not about being famous or having a lot of money. It is really about the impact that these individuals are making in the community, and Alexander Star is definitely one of those individuals.”

Star is one of many speakers set to speak on their accomplishments and journey. Partnering with the Alvin Sherman Library, “Hero of a 1000 Faces” is meant to have a new feature monthly.

“The mission of the Alvin Sherman Library and the university libraries is to be the premier research cultural lifelong Learning center for the university and the community. So celebrating the culture, 14% of our student body and 26% of Broward County residents identify as Black or African-American, so it’s important for us with projects like this to celebrate the culture of the people that that are, walk our campus and walk our community,” said James Hutchins, vice president for Informative services and university librarian.