COVID-19 moved through our country, locking most of us in our homes in the name of public safety. We were glued to 24-hour news and TikTok. Then, George Floyd’s name suddenly flashed across our tv screens and social media timelines. We were staring at another crisis—police brutality. We watched as a police officer held his knee on the neck of George Floyd for 8 minutes. We watched the last minutes of Mr. Floyd’s life as he struggled to scream, “I can’t breathe.” At that moment, the world froze. We were all in shock at the scene playing out in front of our eyes. This wasn’t an incident that we heard about. We all witnessed this tragedy.
Nina Simone, in an interview, said, “It’s an artist’s duty to reflect the times. “And the artists did just that. The visual art that flowed from paint brushes following Mr. Floyd’s murder was powerful and screamed ENOUGH! Black Lives Matter, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd murals were created across the country and even in Little Rock!
Scrolling through Instagram, Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power” blared through my tiny iPhone speakers. Kiara Booker was putting the finishing touches on a painting with all of the names of those killed by law enforcement officers (seen below). Seeing the painting, reached into my chest and grabbed my soul. I felt so many emotions at once—anger, sadness and hopelessness.
I immediately messaged her. Within weeks the painting was in my home. I remember feeling so angry that I wanted to hang it in my office to express my rage. To show “I’m black and I’m proud. “
Family and friends advised against the idea. Stating it would have been inappropriate and caused more harm than good. However, I eventually cooled to the idea and agreed. Today the piece hangs in my guy’s man cave.
See Kiara painting this piece. You'll see that I immediately commented.
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