Dallas-based organization Afterglow Gallery presents Allow Me To Reintroduce Myself (AMTRIM) as an icebreaker to discuss current debates that are taking the nation by storm. The Visual Arts Director and Owner, Said Abusaud created this series as a platform to showcase opinions of social issues from the perspective of Dallas’ own.  The twelve chosen individuals for the series express their raw thoughts on issues such as the Trump Administration, school shootings, and protests of the national anthem in the NFL complimented with a Polaroid photo to give audiences a raw image of who is speaking. AMTRIM strives to prove that love will prevail.

The idea sparked after the viral video “This is America” by Childish Gambino released. Abusaud got inspired to create a series with a similar message to aid in genuinely understanding what others think and to show that individuals with different perspectives on social issues can still come together to love and respect one another. The timing couldn’t be more fitting with constant news headlines reporting on such topics.

“In the past year, I’ve turned on the TV and seen unarmed African Americans being shot, families ripped apart at the border, kids being thrown into detention camps, and it’s brainwashing Americans to be scared of one another,” Abusaud said.

By providing individuals with a platform to speak up on issues, this series may go beyond comfort boundaries. Showcased in the project are familiar yet diverse faces of the Big D, including singer-songwriter Sudie Abernathy, Dallasite Ekaterina Kouznetsova, model Gezebel Marina, University of North Texas student Milan Merlo, musicians and twins Myles and Kyle Mendes, and six others. These individuals come from very different backgrounds representing various races and want their voices to be heard.

Being a minority himself, Abusaud got tired of looking the other way when issues arose. Realizing that others were experiencing the same things, he would observe why it was happening and decided he had turned an eye for too long. This series is a step to starting conversations about the social state the world is currently in.

“Dallas is growing at an exponential pace, and with that, brings people from all different cultures all together,” Abusaud said. “I want everyone to see this series and know that at the end of the day, we’re all people. It’s paramount that we remember that our time here is temporary.”

Allow Me To Reintroduce Myself will debut online at Afterglow Gallery’s official website www.afterglowgallery.com on Monday, July 23 at 9 a.m. It will be presented as a virtual art gallery where audiences can discuss their own thoughts and opinions. The project will be up for a limited time.