WOMAN, WHY DO YOU WEEP?
(Darnella, Our Child of Accountability)

Pyrography, Pastels, and Imitation Gold, Silver & Copper Leaf on Masonite
18x24x.25 in., 2021
Original Available
 

On the evening of May 25, 2020 Darnella Frazier found herself 5 feet away from an altercation between a, then, Minneapolis Police Officer and George Floyd. Rather than escape to safety, the 17-year-old High School Junior pulled out her phone and began to record what would be a 10 minute and 8 second video that documented the 9 minute and 26 second lynching of Floyd. “The world needed to see what I was seeing,” she told the Star Tribune, and so she immediately posted the video to Facebook where it quickly went viral. “If it wasn’t for her bravery, presence of mind and steady hand, and her willingness to post the video on Facebook and share her trauma with the world, all four of those police officers would still be on the streets, possibly terrorizing other members of the community,” said her attorney.

 
Darnella’s subversive action, forcing accountability onto the tyrannical authorities in her community not only led to the unusual outcome of the dismissal of the officers involved in this modern-day crucifixion, but also sparked the worldwide backlash against the mistreatment of the Black Community by our nation’s police forces. 

The isolated addition of color to the flag transforms the American Flag into a Thin Blue Line Flag and symbolizes the ever-increasing tribalism as well as our willingness to blindly trust one group while simultaneously blindly distrusting another. Above her head, in Greek, is written, “Pray for us… Darnella.”

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This is the first piece I ever created, and has been featured in five exhibits and competitions.