Ida B. Wells

 

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                                                                                                                                                                       1. Ida B. Wells #5 Is the last of the second chapter of my Lynching Blues series. I read Crusade For Justice, a biography about this remarkable woman, who was an African American journalist and activist during an era when it seemed very rare to be such an entity in American society. She was very vocal in her protest to dismantle systemic racism and ending the brutalization of lynching. In this piece I drew a scene where she is speaking to other African American women, who are apart of her campaign against lynching and societal injustices against the black community.

2. Ida B. Wells #4 is another perspective of Ida speaking to the attentive group of women. Here I wanted to include the story of three black men, who had a grocery store across the street from a white one, and became competition for the white owned business. This brought about an increasing racial tension and resulted in deadly violence. Ida was well aware of the injustice, as she was friends with the black men. It was a different approach to the compositions I was used to drawing, as I chose to incorporate text to heighten the importance of Wells' journalism and activism during such tumultuous times.

3. Ida B. Wells #3 was another one of those pieces, when I experimented with heavy brushstrokes and ink to tell the story, and find out if I wanted to do without the ballpoint pen for future drawings. It was short lived, as I needed both to help execute my style. I wanted to show the moments in which Ida contemplated and wrote about the issues that concerned her. This also displays the power of choosing words to help bring about change in the world.

4. Ida B. Wells #2 is my favorite of the five I did regarding the journalist. Ida sits on a train, traveling, while reading the newspaper. The cover includes a headline about lynching, that concerned her and the black community that surrounded her. The restless boy looks to see what has her so engaged, while a man sleeps, with a women beside him enjoying the view. It was important to me, that I try to capture the invasive sunlight shining through the window, to create the rich contrast of black and white. It was an early attempt in trying to achieve this with my style.

5. Ida B. Wells #1 is the first drawing that began the second chapter of the series. It is about the three men who Ida tried to help gain justice, while being wrongly imprisoned.She visits them and shares a little hope in accomplishing their freedom. But unfortunately this did not happen. The men were eventually forced out and murdered in cold blood. 

 

                                                                                                                                                                      

Lynching Blues #9, #22, #23, #24, #29

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1. Lynching Blues #9, is a grim piece, as the bulk of this series is, displaying multiple bodies literally hanging like strange fruit from trees in the night. This particular drawing was also loosely executed, with numerous layers of darkened washes, to add to the nightly gloom of the subject, glowing in the moonlight. 

2. Lynching Blues #22, is another one of the most disturbing drawings I've ever done. I was hesitant to share it on my Instagram site, but I have to express my truth somehow, rather it is accepted publicly or not. This piece is inspired partly by a narrative recited by actress Angela Bassett, about a slave woman whose baby was literally ripped from her. It was read from slave letters that was a documentary, being performed by different actors and actresses. I remember the ghastly look on Angela's face after reciting the line from the letter. That part of the program stayed with me afterwards, as I thought about the possible hate crimes that took place during that era and beyond.

3. Lynching Blues #23, is rather symbolic of the racial terrorism upon the black family in general. Racism affects every member in the house hold, one way or another. Men, women, children, fathers, mothers, sons and daughters have been victimized, brutalized and murdered from acts of extreme violence committed by racism and discrimination throughout history, until this day.

4. Lynching Blues #24, is another one of those horror film type images, of being hunted and killed by an enemy, who searches for a victim to gain power and domination through fear and intimidation. The mental state of extreme racism, to the point of madness and evil, that swept over a culture to drive them to perform such acts is frightening and utterly horrific in nature.

5. Lynching Blues #29, is another disturbing piece of a man walking along a dirt road, carrying what appears to be a lifeless child in his arms. I drew this piece, with the thought of a man minding his own business one day, and stumbles upon a grim discovery, somewhere hidden along the man's trail. He realizes the child's innocence was taken most likely by a hate crime, for whatever reason of ignorance. He nobly brings the child's body to the light of some form of justice, and hopefully an explanation of some sort will be received eventually. I remember working on this drawing in the break room  at work, years ago. A coworker of mine, who was well aware of the series I was creating, came in and chuckled as he realized I was still plugging away on the subject of racism and lynching. He said after chuckling  " He better not be dead! "