make my heart smile(2014).

PHOTOS + PROLOGUE BY KYNDALL LANAE

bayview-hunter's point are two major neighborhoods of southeast san francisco, california.

in 1870 hunters point was originally a commercial shipyard later purchased by the united states navy, in 1937, repurposing the area for building naval warships. several housing projects were built here in the immediate vicinity of the shipyard (now inactive), to accommodate the many African American workers who had arrived from across the nation in hopes of securing jobs and affordable housing for their families. this moment in time is what we know today as the second migration. while active, the shipyard, responsibility of the united states navy, housed one of the first and largest atomic bombs. here, also, is where the largest warships and passenger steamers were located. this is where said warships would go for decontamination, causing vast amounts of radiological contamination to the site and its surrounding areas, lingering for decades since the base's deactivation.

it’s an easy thing to do to place blame on these warships of the past for any man-made waste left behind on the land and in the bay waters. however, the issue lies with whomever ultimately decided to build housing projects right on top of toxic waste, on and around the naval shipyard where applied nuclear research was once conducted.

after serving one and only term in the united states military, i returned to my ancestral home and enrolled myself into art school. using as many tools and resources that i could afford, i was able to nurture my creative skills in a structured setting and cultivate a multi-layered body of work.

from where i’m sitting, bayview-hunters point is a beautiful community that very much remains rich in memory, beauty and culture; this is the very neighborhood where i first learned to garden in my great-grandmother’s backyard and received my first piano lessonS. my grandparents vowed to blackly-ever-after here. my mother was born and raised here. this is where I first learned to sew, BY SIGHT AND by HAND, WATCHING MY GREAT-AUNT. as a family it is where we would celebrate the major holidays, welcome new life and eventually lay our loved ones to rest.

as i sit in my own little corner of the world, ten years later, my photos represent a beautifully unfinished search for identity and creative storytelling.