The focal point of my painting is the embrace between an elderly John Lewis and former president Barack Obama.  This moment occurred on the 50th anniversary of the march on Selma and reflects the culmination of decades of civil rights work by John Lewis.  White House chief photographer, Pete Souza, took this photo and I was touched by the emotion and poignancy of these two icons;  Lewis, being one of the original civil rights leaders, and Obama, being the first Black president.  The historical weight of this union is not to be overlooked.

I incorporated the image of John Lewis leading the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma on March 7th, 1965, which became known as “Bloody Sunday”, because it represents the peaceful determination and courage that so many fought for just to have the basic right to vote upheld.  Moments after this photo was taken, Lewis along with countless others among the 600 marchers, were beaten, clubbed, and doused with tear gas by Alabama state troopers.  Lewis was immediately knocked down and sustained a fractured skull.  I painted the scene in monochromatic yellow and left a young Lewis in grayscale so that I could highlight which figure he was in the group and underscore his pivotal role in leading the marchers.  Their goal was to reach Montgomery, the capital of Alabama, 50 miles away to protest the denial of voting rights to African Americans.  I inserted the Black Lives Matter name in the road under the Selma marchers to connect the foundation that these activists laid to the fight that still continues today against racial oppression and police brutality.  Obama’s hand protectively surrounds the marchers, helping to corral the participants to victory.

To the left of the painting is a mugshot taken by the police of Lewis in 1962 after one of his many arrests for simply peacefully protesting against the denial of basic civil rights for Black Americans.  During his lifetime, Lewis was arrested a total of 45 times, even conducting sit-ins on the House floor during his 34 years as a U.S. congressman.  I wanted to include his police photo to emphasize the injustice and brutality that Lewis and countless others faced at the hands of the police during his lifetime.  I repeated the yellow from the Black Lives Matter street art in the identification plate around his neck to unify the composition.  I overlapped his police photo below the older Lewis and Obama to show how his actions paved the way for greater freedom and rights for all today.  Although some of those rights are still routinely denied to our Black brothers and sisters, Lewis’ sacrifices are a reminder that change can be achieved and how our generation must continue to speak out and fight against racial injustice.  

I incorporated some original headlines from the Selma march, and the 50th anniversary march to show the sacrifice that Lewis and so many made to secure the basic of human civil rights.  These signs help guide the viewer’s eye from the Selma bridge to the right of the canvas and create movement.  I used a gel transfer to ensure the text was precise.  I used the same process for the protest signs the radiate out of Obama’s hand on the right of the canvas.  Most of the signs are from the 1960s and reflect the frustration of having to wait to receive equality under the law.  I inserted a sign at the top from one of the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 to tie in the fact that Black American rights are still not being upheld and protected.  The death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer is a graphic reminder of that.  John Lewis’ famous quote, “Get in trouble!  Good trouble! Necessary trouble” is woven through the signs to inspire continued action against injustice.   

We have lost many things since the pandemic started in 2020 and John Lewis was one of them.  While COVID-19 and racism have intersected in a way that has made life seem insurmountable for many people, Lewis’ life of service and sense of moral obligation to his countrymen should inspire hope and make us demand more from ourselves and each other.  It may not be easy, but a little “good trouble” can go a long way.