Photographed by Mel D. Cole
This June we celebrate Pride and Juneteenth, two holidays that employ and embrace strength in the face of injustice. Pride is a holiday that triumphs celebratory love and Juneteenth, the oldest national holiday commemorating emancipation from slavery in the United States honors Black culture, achievements and the freedom to be.
At Stashed, we’re celebrating Black Queer creatives who are trailblazers in the creative industry, whose stories are awe-inspiring.
“Life isn’t a video game that you can get a cheat code for.”
Artist, community activist, and NYC 2021 mayoral candidate Paperboy Prince has cracked the code on authenticity, and being true to self. After a congressional run in 2019, dropping an album in 2020, and now in the race for NYC Mayor, they have been full throttle the last couple of years.
Photographed by Mel D. Cole
If we were to construct a video game of their life, it’d be an open-world exploration with an ensemble of side missions. But they believe they are still coming out of their shell, and that they have so much more to learn. With that being said, they don’t believe in being walked on.
In the political arena, it isn’t lost on Paperboy that they are one of very few Black, nonbinary voices.
“A lot of times you have to command respect; sometimes people don’t respect you until you disrupt,” they said.
“There’s so much to be gained by living how you want to live…You’re not less than, when you want to be yourself.”
When it comes to one-of-a-kind individuals, you have to include Paperboy. And we’re closely anticipating the next steps of their journey.
