Songs of My People was conceived by D. Michael Cheers, photographer, journalist, and documentary filmmaker, along with photographer Dudley M. Brooks, and writer, producer, and media consultant Eric Easter. Over fifty black photographers were invited to share their vision of a balanced view of the African-American experience. The scene captured by Ron Ceasar is a funeral for Jay, the lost son of James and Lonise Bias. Their painful experience of a tragic death inspired the creation of a nationwide campaign for community involvement and nonviolence.

The modern funeral in America can sometimes facilitate a denial of death. The body is embalmed to preserve the image of a living person and to create the illusion of the continuation of life. The American institution of the funeral home has generated a death industry, as “doctors of grief” coordinate mourning and sorrow, while aiding a return to normalcy. The monopoly on death held by hospitals and funeral parlors can remove dying and grieving from the home and make a commercial arena for death. The elaborate casket, personalized floral displays, large processions, and elegant tombstones represent not only consolation for mourners, but also consumer culture.