PORTLAND, Ore. — In the halls of Randall Children's Hospital at Legacy Emanuel, 17-year-old Emmanuel "Manny" Dempsey is making history. His brush strokes do more than capture reality; they're redefining it. As part of Black History Month, Legacy Health commissioned Manny to create a painting for its young patients to be included in its permanent collection.
"It feels good to know somebody is going to walk through here and see themselves and be represented," Manny said. "My main mission is to be seen and for people to see themselves in my art, because I never really had that growing up, or never saw that."
A journey of self-expression
Manny's artistic journey began long before this moment. Since he could hold a pencil, he's been filling in what he didn't see — people who look like him. Back at home, while drawing one of his latest creations, a character he calls Zenobi, Manny described the passion behind his art.
"What inspired me to start drawing is I didn't see myself. I didn't feel represented," Manny explained.
One of his favorite shows as a kid was "Teen Titans." It had a Black character, but Cyborg was a minor character.
"The cartoons I did see, with a character like me, was either a villain or a side kick. I wasn't a villain. I wasn't a side character," he said.
Manny created characters like "Invincible" and "King Funny," often adorning them with crowns.
"Being Black, we are kings and queens. I always try to give my characters crowns when I can," Manny said.
Manny's parents, Keith and Tiffany Dempsey, have nurtured their son's passion and awareness. It was Keith Dempsey who encouraged Manny to begin drawing his own superheroes.
"Oregon is very, very white. As you can see around our house, we have Black art — because we are in Oregon, so we have to be intentional about saying you are Black and you are beautiful," Keith Dempsey explained.
Recognition and entrepreneurship
The Portland Trail Blazers recognized Manny's talent at age 10, choosing his poster of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. meeting Trail Blazers mascot Blaze, for their poster series during Black History Month.
"Once he got that final poster, he was just in awe. 'Oh my God,' he said, 'this is my art,'" Tiffany Dempsey said.
Then came posters for the Portland summer baseball wooden bat team, the Pickles. And the Seattle Mariners baseball team. He created artwork for the bill of the baseball cap, honoring 100 years of the Negro League. More recently, he designed a jersey for the Blazers' G League, Rip City Remix.
Manny has also begun selling an array of t-shirts on his website, celebrating families who are Black and brown.
"This one is 'I love being brown,'" Tiffany Dempsey said, holding up one of the shirts. "So now, whenever kids see it, they say, 'I love being brown.' I want people to see Black people as a positive. We are not a negative. We are great. We are excellent. It's just been that for Manny."
Inspiring the next generation
Manny paints his positive message all around Portland. At age 14, he painted a mural on the garage at Micro Enterprise Services of Oregon. The painting depicts Black youth, their dreams, and what they could become. It features a young girl selling lemonade, her shadow showing her as a judge, and a boy who becomes a businessman along with another young girl who may one day play for the WNBA.
"Seeing us and my people, what we really are and how talented we can really be, and how magical our Black magic is," Manny said. "It's a way to reach out and touch someone's heart and inspire somebody."
Manny's work also welcomes students at KairosPDX charter school, where his mom is Director of Community Relations. He designed the front hall display case, inspiring a young generation of dreamers.
"I want to get to a place where I made it and I can help somebody else make it and pull up my young generation of young brothers and sisters along," Manny explained.
The next frontier in a bright future
But for Manny, his past projects are kid stuff. He's creating a cast of characters with unique fashion styles, like Zenobi, who wears oversized collars because, as Manny says, "Zenobi is shy and to himself and hides his face in the puffy jacket." Manny's dream is to become a household name in fashion design.
"To have deals with Louis Vuitton and Gucci and all that," he said.
From runway dreams to community walls, Manny paints hope in the heart of his neighborhood. At the Doula Community Alliance, along with his cousin and his girlfriend, Manny brings new life to the walls, mirroring the center's mission of new beginnings.
"I was raised around love, born around love, it's what encircles my characters," he said.
Manny is leaving his mark on art that represents and celebrates the beauty in us all. As a senior at De La Salle High School, he plans to attend Morehouse, a historically Black college (HBCU) for men, next fall to study fashion design. Martin Luther King, Jr. is one of Morehouse College's most famous alumni. Manny continues to redefine reality, ensuring that the beauty of the Black and brown community is represented and celebrated.