People of different colors do not have the same experience or the same conversations in the same situations. To me, the Black Lives Matter movement is all about forcing those in power, to examine why blacks are treated so differently than whites in pressure situations. For example, according to the CDC, law enforcement kills African Americans 2.8 times the rate of Whites. Examine and then act and do something so that Black people can be treated with the same dignity as White people at all times. Respect, Equity, and Anti-Racism.
The art in this group of portraits are of people that have inspired me to get out of my comfort zone and to act to showcase the glaring inequality that exists in America today and fight to change that.
“Stop talking about color-blindness. It’s not a thing and [it’s] wildly insulting. Black people (really all people) want to be seen for who they are and what they bring to the table – this includes their ethnic characteristics, intelligence, wit, and other aspects of their identity, culture, and background.”
Elizabeth Morrison, A Letter to Take #ActionforEquality
“THE COMMON IDEA of claiming “color blindness” is akin to the notion of being “not racist”—as with the “not racist,” the color-blind individual, by ostensibly failing to see race, fails to see racism and falls into racist passivity. The language of color blindness—like the language of “not racist”—is a mask to hide racism.”
Ibram X. Kendi, How to be an Antiracist