Please read the background of the Wilmington 10. It speaks for itself and 'Democracy Now' has chosen along with other progressive websites to champion the pardon of these activists who were wrongly accused during the height of the Civil Rights Movement. This is a shared video/transcript of Amy Goodman's interview with Ben Chavis ( civil rights activist), James Ferguson(lead defense attorney) and Cash Michaels (coordinator for the Wilmington Ten Pardons) regarding this matter. 'Democracy Now' has always been a voice for the oppressed and marginalized populace whether it be on domestic or global fronts. Many of these issues are usually shunned by mainstream media.
Brief statement by the Governor as follows: “This conduct is disgraceful. It is utterly incompatible with basic
notions of fairness and with every ideal that North Carolina holds dear.
The legitimacy of our criminal justice system hinges on it operating in
a fair and equitable manner with justice being dispensed based on
innocence or guilt — not based on race or other forms of prejudice.”
(The Associated Press)
Photo: Wilmington Journal.Com
Photo by John Davis: The Survivors and Their Families.
Postscript: 4 of the Wilmington 10 died in prison.
This is a shared article from the Feminist Wire by Sikivu Hutchinson motivated by the Sandy Hook killings. It is an interesting perspective on the phenomenon of mass killings and how race and class are underlying facets of how we grieve and make sense of these heinous acts. Sandy Hook is especially chilling for so many young children were killed as well as teachers and school officials.
As a retired mental health therapist; I've advocated over the years for better implementation and funding of mental health services for individuals and families as well as support for them. It should be a necessary adjunct of solution building discussions as we work on policies and practices to make it impossible for citizens to access weaponry designed for mass killings. How well a society functions is based on how well families socialize their young and the efficiency of ancillary services.
Mr. Pitts is a columnist for the Miami Herald, author of 'Freeman', 'Before I Forget" and other works as well as a 2004 Pulitzer Prize winner for commentary. He has the capacity, in my opinion, to present a balanced approach to the events of the day. He is respected by many and I found his precursory analysis of the Jordan Davis murder right on point. He makes a clear case that for young black boys...the fact that they exist is the only threat to many in this society. This post features a shared article from Leonard Pitts' column at the Miami Herald.
I'm following this case for although some of the particulars aren't exactly the same as we saw in the Trayvon Martin case; race and "stand your ground laws" are prominent in both.
My introduction to Ms. Jones was during a visit to the DuSable Museum Gift Shop in Chicago. I was looking for notecards and noticed a box set distributed by Pomegranate Communications. The cards had 4 images of some of her paintings and upon further research, I learned that she was a black woman whose contributions to the art world were many, however, until recent years were rather obscure. She, as so many black artists during the 1930's travelled to Paris, France to pursue those opportunities that weren't available to her in the states. She was part of that expatriate group that entailed so many great artists of color in the fields of visual arts, literature, poetry, music/composing, entertainment as well as scholars. According to Ms. Jones....
"The French were so inspiring. The people would stand and watch me and
say ‘mademoiselle, you are so very talented. You are so wonderful.’ In
other words, the color of my skin didn’t matter in Paris and that was
one of the main reasons why I think I was encouraged and began to really
think I was talented."
She married Haitian artist Louis Vergniaud Pierre-Noel and resided in Haiti for a period. A world traveler and an experimental (impressionist) painter who exposed the world to the rich cultural aspects of people of color throughout the diaspora remains a part of her legacy. Lois Marilou Jones was instrumental in exposing the world to black artistry during the Harlem Renaissance and eventually returned to the U.S. to teach at Howard University as well as continue with her first love which is painting. She earned several degrees and became a mentor for many until she retired from the University in 1977.
The painting shown here is titled 'An African American Family Christmas' which I happened upon while browsing the internet searching for images of her paintings. According to some of the information researched; many of her paintings are displayed at a number of museums, e.g.,Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Museum of American Art, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, National Portrait Gallery, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the National Palace in Haiti, and the National Museum of Afro-American Artists. Just to name a few.
Ms. Jones was born in Boston and from a middle class family. She travelled the world and broaden her horizons which makes her accomplishments all the more intriguing. Her first stop was in Paris where she studied at the Academie Julian. Over the years, she also traveled to several countries on the African continent and as previously indicated, lived in Haiti. There were many people of color who were trailblazers in the arts and now belong to the ages and for many of us; are unknown entities. This video features an interview of Ms. Jones, age 90 at the time, on a morning talk show. What she has to say about her journey is inspiring and clearly confirms that despite all the obstacles--our forebearers prevailed and in their various spheres of influence left a rich cultural heritage for their descendants and others. She died at age 92.
There is one other thing I'd like to address about this woman and many people of color who struggle with this double consciousness and contradiction that plagues us to this day. She is quoted as stating that one of her greatest achievements to the art world is "proof of the talent of black artists."But her fondest wish was to be known as an "artist". As I've stated many times before that we as oppressed people accept the limitations of who we are as humans based on the ideas and perspectives of mainstream societies. The descriptive term of her culture or ethnicity doesn't besmirch or diminish her artistry or accomplishments. She was a renaissance woman who made significant contributions to the art world as well as that of an educator. I'm glad to know that she was a woman of color given that for many years I've sat in classrooms listening to teachers expound on why we're overlooked as a group because we didn't contribute anything of substance to the humanities, sciences and the arts. Today, that same message is relayed in many of our schools and although there have been amazing efforts at mainstreaming these little known facts; there is still much work to be done.
I've added this video with a slide presentation of some of her paintings as well as links to a short bio, additional images of her many works and a website. Dr. Chris Chapman; a friend and adviser, after her death completed a book about her life titled; Lois Mailou Jones: A life in Color.
