Black tattoo artists push for diversity in the white-dominated industry

"As a whole, we have been left far behind in an industry that has actually derived from our tribal heritage," New York tattoo artist Richard Parker said.

Although tattooing has been around for centuries, the practice was mainly underground before becoming recognized as legitimate art in modern history.

Despite being a fairly mainstream industry now, discriminatory hiring practices and racial stigmas are among the challenges that Black tattoo artists say they face in the white-dominated field of tattoo artistry.

Even tattoo artists of color in New York City -- considered the birthplace of modern tattooing following a nearly four-decade ban, according to The New York Historical Society, say the field needs more diversity.

Richard Parker, who owns a private tattoo studio, Think Before You Ink in Brooklyn, New York, said that being an artist brings "a struggle of its own" -- but being a Black artist only adds another layer of obstacles.