For this project we researched the Vietnam War and the politics surrounding it. After this research we were assigned to create an artistic representation that illustrated our interpretations of the war and its surrounding politics.
Artist Statement
I made this piece trying to illustrate and represent the struggles of the black community during the Vietnam War. This art represents not only what was going on back then but also what is going on today in Ferguson, New York, and other not as publicized violent inner cities. This art is depicting Huey Newton, the leader and co-founder of the Black Panther Party that existed in the 1960s, in the Black panther revolutionary fist. The revolutionary fist represents standing up and fighting for your rights.
The Black Panther Party was a group of African American activists who advocated for racial equality and the end of police brutality. I think that this piece is very relevant to some similar movements happening today. The phrase written at the top of my painting is 1 of the 10 point platform rules written by the Black Panthers. This rule was asking for an immediate end of police brutality directed toward the black community. In the 1960s the Black Panthers armed themselves so they could defend themselves from the police who were supposed to be keeping them safe. It is sad to see that today we are still seeing how skewed and bias the justice system is.
This art is also representing the black community’s struggles on the warfront. The Black population was unfairly drafted and sent to the more dangerous areas in Vietnam. The Black Panthers spoke out against this inequality. The quote at the bottom of my painting is another 1 of the 10 platform points made to protest this country’s inequalities. They believed that they should not be forced to defend a racist government from countries of color who were also being victimized by America’s skewed and racist government.
Black Panthers were speaking up against these inequalities and just asking for the basic rights that everyone deserves. If they were asking for change 50 years ago why are there acts of racist police brutality still going on today? We’ve tricked ourselves into thinking that equality exists where it doesn’t so we have stopped doing anything to help those who still have to deal with institutionalized racism. Maybe by recognizing that racism still exists we can begin to change that.
The Black Panther Party was a group of African American activists who advocated for racial equality and the end of police brutality. I think that this piece is very relevant to some similar movements happening today. The phrase written at the top of my painting is 1 of the 10 point platform rules written by the Black Panthers. This rule was asking for an immediate end of police brutality directed toward the black community. In the 1960s the Black Panthers armed themselves so they could defend themselves from the police who were supposed to be keeping them safe. It is sad to see that today we are still seeing how skewed and bias the justice system is.
This art is also representing the black community’s struggles on the warfront. The Black population was unfairly drafted and sent to the more dangerous areas in Vietnam. The Black Panthers spoke out against this inequality. The quote at the bottom of my painting is another 1 of the 10 platform points made to protest this country’s inequalities. They believed that they should not be forced to defend a racist government from countries of color who were also being victimized by America’s skewed and racist government.
Black Panthers were speaking up against these inequalities and just asking for the basic rights that everyone deserves. If they were asking for change 50 years ago why are there acts of racist police brutality still going on today? We’ve tricked ourselves into thinking that equality exists where it doesn’t so we have stopped doing anything to help those who still have to deal with institutionalized racism. Maybe by recognizing that racism still exists we can begin to change that.