“I Too Am American” is a performance that brings to light the importance of identity as a Black American in 2020. We live in a society where racism for many is still alive and well; a society in which only “whiteness” is associated with America and conversely, where America is inherently a white country in terms of culture, character, and structure. This, in turn, forces most people of color to face boundaries and restrictions set by mainstream white people in America. Individuals not considered white in America are identified by their ethnicity and classified by the social construct of color: yellow, red, brown or black. The so-called yellow man is classified as Asian American, the red man as Native American, the brown man as Pacific Islander, and the black man as African American. However, white people, who come from a multitude of countries and diverse ethnic backgrounds (with or without American citizenship) are all classified by one color: white.

Due to all of the social unrest and injustice in the US during 2020, the performance “I Too Am American” took place in front of my local sheriff’s building. The performance began with me wearing a white custom plaster mask that intricately highlighted the form of my face as a black woman. I used my hands to smear both brown and black paint on the mask completely altering the color. After a considerable amount of paint was smeared on the mask, the color began to resemble the likeness of my own skin. The mask was then removed from my face, slowly revealing my actual face that had been hiding behind the now dark-colored mask. Very intentionally, I slowly turned the mask around so the viewer could see the inside of the mask. It is revealed that an American flag is painted on the inside of the mask. By social and cultural constructs, I am classified by the color of my skin, but when it’s all said and done, I, too, am American.