In celebration of Black History Month, Charlotte FC partnered with Soho, a black local Charlotte, NC artist, to illustrate black stories and culture.
Our players and staff sat down and shared how they are paving the way for the next generation of excellence.
“It’s about reaching back and pulling people forward.”
Come Together With Joyful Noise
The illustration by Soho has many different layers of black identity throughout.
- Come Together with Joyful Noise, a notable gospel song in the church.
"In the black community, the church is one of the most important places to be and come together"
- Outlined and implied
"'Tell my sisters we aint free til they free too' and 'tell my brothers we aint free til they free too' [represents] us trying to reach full equality. We get closer and closer but still have a long ways to go together."
- Not One Shade
"We're all different"
Lifting voices through art, sharing, supporting black businesses and expanding exposure is immensely important. There are more things to come.
About Soho
Soho's curiosity and scattered thoughts allow him to constantly experiment with new mediums and mash them together. His subject matter explores concepts of living while black, the relationship with capitalism, and how both are used to define black identity.
" I choose to stick with illustrating black stories because that’s all I know, all I’ve ever been and will always be black. I believe one cannot tell black stories without touching on identity due to us being forced to create an entirely new culture through perseverance, endurance and community."
The stories he develops through this exploration result in images that are not only bright and colorful but also celebrate how black people own their identities, language and materialistic American nature.
