JERMAINE CARLOS DIAZ | YOUNG LACE← BACK TO HOME
PERSONAL ARCHIVE · BEFORE YOUNG LACE

Before the name,
there was a family.

Before there were headlines, I was a boy growing up in Fort Smith, Arkansas. I had people who loved me, people who helped raise me, and experiences I was too young to fully understand. These images hold the moments before so much of my story unfolded.

My mother, Darlene Jarrett, and I have shared a closeness that stretches from childhood into the man I am today. Even as life moved through chapters neither of us could have predicted, the bond between us remained a part of where I came from and who I wanted to become. My godparents, Donald and Billie Jo Carter, and my godsister Akua are part of those early roots, too.

Designed family memory collage; original childhood and family photographs appear individually below

Every picture tells a part of it.

Select any photo to open its individual full-size image. The originals remain separate from the designed collection thumbnail.

Jermaine Carlos Diaz as a baby boy, wearing a light-colored outfit outdoorsView original image ↗
My earliest years — before anyone knew the name Young Lace.Childhood & the people who raised me · Young Lace · @legendarywitit
Young Jermaine Carlos Diaz smiling and holding artwork in a childhood photographView original image ↗
A childhood smile, a moment worth remembering.Childhood & the people who raised me · Young Lace · @legendarywitit
Collection of childhood photographs of Jermaine Carlos Diaz with family and at special occasionsView original image ↗
Family memories preserved across the years.Childhood & the people who raised me · Young Lace · @legendarywitit
Jermaine Carlos Diaz as a boy in a formal family portrait with his godparents and godsister AkuaView original image ↗
The people who helped shape my beginning — my godparents and my godsister Akua.Childhood & the people who raised me · Young Lace · @legendarywitit
Young Jermaine Carlos Diaz standing indoors in a yellow shirt in his early yearsView original image ↗
Growing up, before I fully understood the road ahead.Childhood & the people who raised me · Young Lace · @legendarywitit
Jermaine Carlos Diaz with his mother Darlene Jarrett at an evening eventView original image ↗
Years change. The bond between my mother and me remains.My mother, Darlene Jarrett · Young Lace · @legendarywitit
Jermaine Carlos Diaz embracing his mother Darlene Jarrett during an evening outView original image ↗
My mother, beside me through the chapters of my life.My mother, Darlene Jarrett · Young Lace · @legendarywitit
Archival social media photograph of Jermaine Carlos Diaz with his mother Darlene JarrettView original image ↗
A moment from our years together, preserved in the family archive.My mother, Darlene Jarrett · Young Lace · @legendarywitit
Jermaine Carlos Diaz photographed with his mother Darlene Jarrett at a celebrationView original image ↗
Through every season, we have found reasons to celebrate one another.My mother, Darlene Jarrett · Young Lace · @legendarywitit
Jermaine Carlos Diaz in a gold crown posing with his mother Darlene JarrettView original image ↗
Laughter, milestones, and memories shared with my mother.My mother, Darlene Jarrett · Young Lace · @legendarywitit
Jermaine Carlos Diaz relaxing with his mother Darlene Jarrett at homeView original image ↗
In the quiet moments, family means everything.My mother, Darlene Jarrett · Young Lace · @legendarywitit
Jermaine Carlos Diaz and his mother Darlene Jarrett wearing coordinated red hatsView original image ↗
Mother and son — a closeness that has grown through the years.My mother, Darlene Jarrett · Young Lace · @legendarywitit

This is the beginning of the story—not the whole story. Read the full life story ↗

@legendarywitit · Return to the homepage