Tyler Small, a 27-year-old self-taught photographer and queer Black dad in St. Louis, is commemorating Father’s Day in a special way. He’s taking pictures of fellow Black fathers for a local nonprofit’s “Father Figures” event that raises funds for free mental health services.
Along with two other Black dads with deep St. Louis roots, Small is part of an upcoming panel discussion about modern fatherhood. His goal is to share his experiences as a father — what it looks and feels like — and how he (and others) can be their best as a dad and person.
Small has “grace” and “love” tattooed on his forearm – it’s what his daughters’ names, Anais and Amor, mean. It also captures how he approaches fatherhood. That includes understanding what internal work he needs to do to avoid passing his trauma to his girls.
“I realized anything that I didn't handle within me, I'll be handing down,” Small said. “There was a lot of internal conflict that would show up in my interpersonal relationships … that was something that I didn't appreciate from the generation before me. Instead of pointing the finger at them, I was like, ‘All right, what role do I play in this? And what can I do to interrupt the cycle?’”
Small’s participation in the Village Path’s “Father Figures” event as a photographer and dad captures how he’s come to value – and see – two things that he wasn’t familiar with in his own past: brotherhood and fatherhood.
“The more I started meeting other Black fathers and having conversations, I started finding that we are healing, we are doing the work, we are messing up. But we are coming together to do better than what's been done before,” Small said.
Also participating in Friday’s panel on modern fatherhood is Muhammad "Mvstermind" Austin, a musician and the director of musical experience for St. Louis City SC, and Alonzo Nelson, Jr., a math teacher and co-founder of the Collective STL.
“I just want to show it's a multitude of fathers out here doing the thing who want to heal, who want to connect,” Small said. “They all look different and all show up different. But the biggest part is that they show up.”
To hear more about how Tyler Small’s camera has served as his “compass” and what it means to heal in community with other Black father figures, listen to St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcast or Stitcher or by clicking the play button below.
Related Event
What: The Village Path’s Father Figures Photo Fundraiser
When: 6-8 p.m. June 16
Where: Heydays HQ, 3139 Olive St., St. Louis, MO 63103
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Ulaa Kuziez is our production intern. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr. Send questions and comments about this story to talk@stlpr.org.
