BUT THEN WE DID

Words by Carrie Stetler and Akintola Hanif

Two years ago,we launched HYCIDE Magazine because we believed the world needed to see the images and stories we present.

Since then, because of the many people who have donated their work and talents, we've been able to remain committed to that goal.

Today, we celebrate our second anniversary with a look back at some of our best images from the last year, which marked an expansion of HYCIDE's vision. This winter, we released our first art issue, guest-edited by curator Shantrelle P. Lewis, which featured over 60 artists.

The work we included was in many ways pioneering, offering a subversive and prismatic view of gender, race, pop culture and the African Diasporan experience. There's no compendium like it anywhere and we know that in decades to come it will be a valuable document of millennial work that's often overlooked by the mainstream art world and media.

We also began using HYCIDE to showcase the work of numerous established and emerging photographers, who have produced images and stories from around the world. Our one-year anniversary issue, released last summer, featured international photo essays on people from Newark to Cuba as well as the work of our newest team member, Nema Etebar, and his intimate portraits of Philadelphia, New Delhi, Uganda, and Rwanda.

At this time, we want to thank readers, contributors, and anyone else who's ever helped or supported us in any way. Because of the dedication of everyone who's been involved with HYCIDE since our inception, we're ready for a bigger, better and even more passionate HYCIDE in the year ahead.