She is larger than life in the composition because she reflects the grief over the pervasive racism and subsequent murders of African Americans that has overwhelmed so many, from individuals, to entire nations across the globe.  The power of the photo is in the way she holds her head so high, exemplifying her strength and courage in the face of such a tragedy.  The solitary tear that stains her cheek for me is the epitome of dignified grief.  David McAtee ran a local BBQ joint and often fed local police officers for free.  The fact that he died at the hands of one is tragically ironic.  

McAtee’s image rises out of the extinguished flame of the Statue of Liberty and is suspended in white embers in the cheek of his beloved family member.  The Statue of Liberty sinks into the sea, quickly disappearing as a beacon of hope and freedom for all.  This iconic statue becomes fraudulent in the hypocrisy of what it stands for:  ““Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” This phrase is an eerie reminder of George Floyd’s final plea to the police officer who killed him.  

The floating mask in the foreground marked with the words, “I can’t breathe” symbolizes Floyd’s infamous words that have become the rallying cry at protests around the world.  The mask is also a reminder of the pandemic that is plaguing humanity.  The intersection of COVID-19 with the resurgence of these protests underscores the urgency of this moral outrage despite the threat of a virus that has already claimed the lives of a disproportionate number of African Americans.

The faces of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor also arise from the snuffed out torch of Lady Liberty on the right side.  Like McAtee, Breonna Taylor was also from Louisville.  Taylor was shot 8 times by the police after they broke into her apartment with a “no knock warrant” while she was sleeping. Her name along with many other Black Americans has received a lot of public attention, especially since the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25.  

Floyd’s death was pivotal because it sparked solidarity among many against the unspeakable treatment and deaths of Black Americans at the hands of police officers. The entire world became a witness to the 8 minutes, 46 seconds that a police officer pressed on George Floyd’s neck and saw the life seep out of his body.  But this incident is so much more.  This atrocity pried open the eyes of people from all races, religions, classes and genders, especially those who benefit from a privileged existence.  It also ignited a movement demanding changes against systemic racism that have existed for centuries and highlighted a system that was not broken, but intentionally designed to humiliate, degradate, and disempower Black Americans. 

This painting is dedicated to those African Americans whose lives were tragically and unjustly taken by the very people that are supposed to protect them and the people who continue to fight for racial justice and stand up to racial oppression.