To celebrate black history means to know the culture behind it all...
Growing up as an African American I learned to be very cultured, nurturing and driven. I developed a passion for art, history, and reading which help me to learn about the leaders behind it all.
With a passion for art, I discovered that blacks not only have a gift of talent but a purpose behind it. The black artist shared portrayals of their struggles through their paintings and artwork.
Jacob Lawrence was born in Atlantic City, NJ. "The MIGRATION SERIES" was a painting that not only strikes brightness of color but showed the strength and courage behind African Americans who relocated from the south to the north for better educational opportunities. This was during World War I and World War II.
Faith Ringgold was born in Harlem, NY. This woman had a voice behind every painting! One of my favorites was "The American People Series #20: Die (1967)" which was about racism. In 1964, the tension between blacks and whites grew hectic and many blacks suffered long enough and wanted justice.
This painting was directly addressing to the riots. Faith stated "One of the most difficult things I ever painted in my life." It was because of the blood, she recalled. Blood meant to hurt and death and in order to express the realness of the pain, people suffered it had to be added to the painting.
Many of these artists not only expressed the pain that blacks endured in their paintings, but the courage it took and the perseverance of many African Americans who never stop striving for freedom, education, and peace.
Written by Shikoma M.
