Bouquet of humanity
For me, creating art is a way of expressing my thoughts and feelings through colors and shapes. And then, frequently, my life experiences are reflected in my paintings. Often a thought or emotion will guide me to shapes and colors. Sometimes, the message is soft and subtle but other times it is bright and bold. Feelings can be expressed in muted lines or bold shapes, in pastel soft colors, or my usual bold-color palette. This painting has bright colors to signify both the intensity of current challenges as well as the light of hope.
Over the past few weeks, my niece and her family were traumatized by a medical challenge. Her 10-year-old son was hospitalized. We were all so worried about him. I received daily updates on his status. One day, his mom wrote, “I never want to see a picc line placed again, especially in my own child. It’s terrible.” I had a visceral reaction to this and couldn’t get my mind off the image. What this Mom went through that day had to be so hard. It occurs to me that her reaction was such a “Mom reaction” – to protect her child. Fortunately, this young boy has been released from the hospital and is now home with his Mom, Dad, siblings, and extended family. Although I’m grateful for what looks like a happy ending, my heart still hurts for what this Mom endured.
As I empathize with this young Mom, I can’t help thinking of all the other Moms who are trying to protect their children. Embedded in this painting are the names, all too familiar to most of us, of deceased young people of color, mostly Black Americans. All of these people had Moms. If I, as a White woman, still have a visceral reaction when I see a glimpse of the video of the murder of George Floyd, how must a Black Mom feel? If you are a Black Mom in America, how do you protect your child? How do you guide and guard them? How do you prepare them for a country that is still debating whether systemic racism exists? All of the Moms and Dads of these deceased young people are still suffering. Many do not ever find justice. Often, even when clear video evidence is present, there is still no justice or accountability.
Why? Why is this happening with such apparent frequency? And, why is it happening to Black people, mostly boys and men? Why are Black and other people of color incarcerated at rates higher than the White population? Why do our criminal justice system statistics look different for the White and Black (and people of color) populations? Why are American prison population statistics so different and so much higher for people of color than the rest of the world’s incarceration statistics? Why do so many in our country have a need to deny this reality? For those of us who believe the numbers, what should we do about it? How do we turn our angst into action? I do not have the answers to any of these questions. But, I know change is required now. We have a long way to go to reach racial equality in our country.
Race is a somber topic, one that continues to shape our narrative. It is clear to me that life is easier if you are White in America. So, for those of us who are White, I believe now is our time to demand change. We have an opportunity, a duty, and a moral obligation to speak out and speak up and to act. How we do this is our personal choice. Some of us may paint and write stories, some may march, some may write to their congressmen and women, or some may self-reflect and thus become more aware. As Congressman John Lewis said, “When you see something, say something.” It’s not enough to just hope things will improve. That time is past.
My art is a tribute to these Black people who are no longer with us – and to their Moms. This Bouquet of Humanity is also a call to action for all of us to do what we must to become agents for the change that is so needed in our society to stop racist thinking and actions. The names listed in this painting are Black people who are dead, who died for no reason. I find it heartbreaking that this list of names is not complete. This list only represents those who made the national news cycle.
The time for change is now.
Black Lives Do Matter
George Floyd, Daunte Wright, Adam Toledo, Rayshard Brooks, Daniel Prude, Breonna Taylor, Atatiana Jefferson, Stephon Clark, Botham Jean, Philando Castille, Alton Sterling, Michelle Cusseaux, Freddie Gray, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Michael Brown, Elijah McClain