So, perusing the current profile article on Justice Ginsberg, I was stunned to see this right there alongside perfume ads, TV show promos, and Microsoft:
A little internet research reveals that the artist, Emory Douglas, is still around and still kicking. In fact, unknowingly, I recently photographed one of his contemporary agitprop posters on the wall at a community meeting:
Yes -- the SF8 had their charges dismissed.
In 2009, Douglas was interviewed at length about joining the Black Panther Party, creating its images, and the Black liberation movement's legacy. This YouTube is a fascinating account of people that the government tried hard to exterminate in the late '60s -- well worth 10 minutes of your time.
I think my generation was one of the first to see the injustice in the treatment of black Americans and to make a concerted effort to change the mindset of the country. I participated in fair housing marches and demonstrations for civil rights and I taught my children that all races are people and deserve respect and the same rights as white people do. I can see that today's young people seem more open to that mindset -- I'm not saying that everything is perfect, I know it isn't, but I was proud to be able to vote for Jesse Jackson in a Democratic primary for President and to vote Obama into office twice. We still have a long way to go, but I believe we're headed in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteEmory is still very much around and kicking. Among many other projects, see http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1561896108/the-black-panthers-and-the-zapatistas-an-encounter
ReplyDeleteRizzoli published a beautiful coffee-table art book of his work a couple years ago, and this has only boosted his political engagements. Thanks for the post.
Hi Rob. I hoped you'd come by and amplify. Thanks!
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