The Black ABCs Are Reimagined for 2021 in Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma

Creative directed by Eric McNeal, whose insightful eye has elevated Pyer Moss’ runway events as well as Paloma Elsesser’s street style, the films utilize the best in design to tell a story. For McNeal, who grew up with the original flashcard deck, the project was personal. “In a way, I found my purpose through working on this,” he shared on the phone from Brooklyn. “Growing up attending Shirley Chisholm daycare in Crown Heights, I was very familiar with the Black ABCs. We connect to seeing people who look like us, and the alphabet represents the beginning of our understanding because it’s language that shapes the way we view the world.”

To create a strong visual identity that honored the source material, McNeal sourced costumes with a vintage feel. “It’s a lot packed into a short,” he says. “We’re tackling the entire alphabet, and it has to connect to the 1970s and its aesthetic. There are 36 different outfits in total, and you’ll see a lot of different brands packed in. There are pieces from Telfar, Bode, Thom Browne, Greg Lauren, Johnny Nelson and Issey Miyake and they all have a retro vibe that worked.” Connecting all this to Jones’s lyrics required careful consideration. “I’m such a fan of Topaz as a musician, but also just as a person, and this is his story,” says McNeal. “It delves into all the things that have influenced his life, but in a way that feels universal. It goes beyond style. When we say ‘V is for vulnerability’ and then discuss that with a Black therapist, or do ‘A is for amphetamines,’ it’s exploring topics that aren’t always easy to address.”