Photographs of Jerome Brown
Editor’s Note
Jerome Brown explains that, except for the photograph featuring artwork on his face, all the other photographs were taken during a specific time when he was in recovery and attending college. He wanted to celebrate his new life at the age of 50 through these images. The four photos of Jerome wearing Fascinator Hats were taken by professional photographer Dan Demetriav, who collaborated with his friend, professional makeup artist Be’nard Giles, for makeup. Jerome is unsure of the photographer’s name for the black-and-white photo. Meanwhile, his long-time friend Iggy Berlin captured the image featuring the artwork, which Iggy also applied to Jerome’s face in the early 2000s.
I met Jerome this last year and was immediately captivated by his smile and openness. We began to talk about things we had in common, adoption, foster care, and writing. He also had been a hair stylist like my husband Arthur Rivers. Jerome grew up in Mount Vernon, New York under foster care with one family. In 1984 he moved to Manhattan when he was 18 and got his GED and cosmetology license. He says that worked for him quite well, though he could spend money but couldn’t save it. In a fateful and career-ending incident, he recklessly used 100-volume peroxide to highlight a friend’s hair while under the influence of mood-altering substances. This poor decision led to devastating consequences: his friend, a talented choreographer, lost all of his hair as Jerome tragically watched the foils and bleached hair wash down the drain. As a result of this disaster, Jerome lost all his clients and faced the fallout. Remarkably, the choreographer continues to stand by him, and their friendship endures even in the aftermath of such a calamity.
The 1980s were a decadent and exciting time. Then, 1989 arrived and the party came to an end with the arrival of the virus. The feeling of death and doom followed his diagnosis of positive for HIV. In 2012, he was first introduced to AA, which helped him to stop looking at life as a death sentence. In 2016, at the age of 51, he was inspired by powerful Black men who had gotten sober and went from having only GEDs to Ph.Ds. Their stories gave him the courage to go to BMCC. He graduated with an associate in creative writing in 2018. Part of his inspiration for literature and writing stemmed from his childhood: he had loved to play with dolls and create elaborate stories, although he did not write them down. In 2020, he earned his BA in creative writing from Brooklyn College. He wrote “Demon,” published in this issue, while he was at BMCC.
During his last semester in 2020, he found himself once again ensnared in the grip of alcohol. However, in 2024, he returned to Alcoholics Anonymous and has recently resumed writing, fueled by the encouragement of new friends. He is currently immersed in a significant project inspired by a conversation a friend, my husband, and I shared with him over lunch. We delved into the intricate realities faced by transgender individuals who fall in love with the opposite sex and grapple with the desire to transition back. He told me this conversation ignited a fire within him, prompting him to return home and begin crafting what he initially envisioned as a short story. After reading what he had written so far, I encouraged him to think of it as a novel, as the depth and complexity of the subject matter truly deserve a larger canvas. Can’t wait to see this work emerge.
Jan Schmidt
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