As Frustrating as it Feels, not All Fights should be Finished with Fists
2021
graphite, watercolor, illustration pens, Faber-Castel pens, black and red India ink, and gesso
6x6in.
During the social justice movements of 2020 there was a quote stating, “Black people have every right to destroy the country they built for free.” While I whole-heartedly agree that some of our ancestors built this country for free, I don’t agree that we should destroy it. I don’t know who wrote the saying but I was interested in how much attention it received instead of the efforts of so many others working in front of and behind the scenes without violence, not to dismantle American, but to make it a place where we can thrive. There is a whole debate on the value of property over black lives, but this painting is an explanation of that quote not being about black people’s right to violence but continuing the stereotype of the angry black man and woman. The machine is covering this man’s eyes, blinding him to the truth and warping his vision; the caution-gauntlets around his arms are a warning that his fists are dangerous weapons; and the bloodthirsty drool is akin to a wild, snarling “savage.” Based on his stance, this work asks the question, “Is he getting ready to fight, or is he holding back the rage?” This nation has perpetrated the stereotype of the “angry black” for centuries in order to label us as unfit for more comprehensive roles and leadership positions in society. Violence is unacceptable, but to recognize and hyperbolize the violence of only one ethnicity is even more heinous.