life in technicolor: meet moe

Meet Moe.  An avid Afro-punk supporter, Moe comes out to almost all of our events, volunteer functions, and almost always shows up with a smile.  As part of New York photographer, Ijeoma D. Iheanacho’s, photo essay for Afro-punk, “Living Life in Technicolor,” Ijeoma wanted to feature normal people who identified with the AP community for Black History Month and reveal their personalities beyond just their faces and trendy clothes.  “Who are these people that we see around the Afro-punk community?” Ijeoma asked.  “I want to know more about their personal lives, what they think about the community they support, and what influences them.  I want my photo essays to show this side of them,” she said. 

Life in  Technicolor:  Meet Moe

Photographer Ijeoma Iheanacho

Check out her interview with Afropunk.com here

Name
Maurice Adams aka Moe

Age
Whats my age again??

What do you do
To put money in my pocket and food in my mouth, I’m a teachers’ assistant and I also work as a Program Coordinator for a non-profit organization that aims to develop under developed neighborhoods through after school programs, social services and other educational methods. Activism is the name of the game……… 

Where do you see Afro-punks fitting into the larger story of African American History?
Well….. For starters, in order for “Afro-Punk” or even the concept for what it represents to be noticed on a larger scale for African-Americans, we need to not be satisfied as to where we are currently as African Americans. We are not a people that should be limited to a box, there is a whole world out there to explore and conquer. In order for “Afro- Punk” to be in a larger part of African American history as it once was, (we just forgot it did), we need to be the radicals that once existed before us, Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, our fore fathers on the plantation and the list goes on……….the concept of living to the full potential of our lives without barriers were the focal point of attention for these individuals and many more. What we decided to do, was to forget what happened in the past and even take it for granted. We forgot that we overcame segregation, thus the reason there is still segregation.We forgot that slavery is what paved the way to our freedom, thus the reason we are still enslaved. We forgot that every slave wore their own chains and shackles to set themselves and us free, thats why we are still chained and shackled mentally and physically today. As Afro-Americans, we need to restore and ensure that our voices are heard and lasts forever, whether its through clothing, art, music, poetry, activism, politics or just a life that does not settle for less, we need to ensure that “Afro Punk” …..its meaning and concept is not lost or taken for granted.

Moment in history that changed your life
The moment in history that changed my life was when I was aware of who I was. I didn’t really know who I was or even accepted myself at a point in my life, but when I came to that conclusion, part of me became complete. The rebel was born!!!

What makes you a rebel
What makes me a rebel….The fact that I’m passionate about living my life despite societies expectations, standards and norms makes me a rebel.

What does your look say
My look says revolutionist, it says individualism, it screams personality and confidence. Its sometimes perceived as me being a rebel and an anti-conformist, which is definitely true, but only for positive causes that can change the world. My look is a representation of who I am. 

Style icon
My style is simply just me with a punked out attitude. The reason being, is that it reflects purpose, it reflects a cause, unlike the styles, fashion, and fads that change every season, my style is  a representation of me and my lifestyle, it isn’t influenced by fashion, it isn’t influenced by what celebrities are wearing, or how popular it may seem at the time. My style is just an external visual description of who I am.

Personality icon
I am very outgoing with an extroverted personality, not shy at all, its easy for me to be around people with similar personalities. There are times that I can be a total jerk though. You wouldn’t want to see that side of me, not too pretty.

Biggest vice
Ignorance and individuals that are not willing to think outside of the box due to ignorance. That brings along my biggest vice of all and its so big that I should really consider writing a book on it. To make a long story short…..WHATS UP MY NIGGER!! (O yeah sorry, I forgot they justify its use) WHATS UP MY NIGGA!! Its so sad that we still, after all the pain, hurt, betrayal, death,false accusations  and loss that our ancestors went through,that we still use that word.  

Drink of choice
Water

The last album you bought and why
Don’t buy albums I download, so the last album I downloaded was Silversteins “When Broken Is Easily Fixed”, its pretty old about 2003. I downloaded it recently because I am able to relate to the emo/screamo expressions, there are so many tracks that I listened to on there that I was able to relate to when I was going through my personal issues. I listen to it now because it just reminds me at times of all that I was able to overcome in a positive way and sometimes you just need to scream, and if you need to scream once or twice or maybe even three times, then this is the album. P.S- Helps you get over your ex-girlfriend before you even know it.    

The best gift you’ve ever received
Though I’ve received many gifts in my life, the best gift I’ve ever received has to be Jesus Christ and being Christian. The reason being, if it were not for Him, I would not be where I am today.  

Someone in pop culture you wish you didn’t like, but you do
I wish that I didn’t like Lady Gaga, that chicks music is super crap, but she is a good performer and talented, the next best female pop-artist of this generation.

What is your wish for the world
I wish there was appreciation for all life, stop the killing, stop the hate, stop the violence. I know it sounds cliche but I believe if we can learn to unite and come together in love, peoples’ lives would be changed and this world will operate a little bit different.

***For use of any photos or to contact the photographer, please contact us at Afropunkcommunity@gmail.com.****