Black Out Black Friday

Can't say that I was surprised about the no indictment decision regarding Darren Wilson who shot and killed Michael Brown last August. What has surprised me however, is the response across America (and even in places like Toronto, Canada) to this case and the number of people who felt compelled to march, protest and simply just make their voices known.

What followed in the immediate aftermath of the decision was protests that at points descended into property damage in the form of fires and some looting. But it is important to remember that this was just a small sect of people. Many more marched peacefully not just in Ferguson, but in New York, D.C., Boston, Oakland, and Los Angeles just to name a few.

Protesters blocked highways, flooded Times Square, marched to the White House, and also made their presence known on a day when consumption is usually king -- Black Friday. The hashtag #blackoutblackfriday was re-tweeted by many and led to people doing lay ins in malls in and around Ferguson as a symbolic way of laying their lives on the line for the cause. This is a movement that will not go quietly into the night.

With any movement that gains steam and hence increases in the amount of eyes and ears paying attention, you best believe that there is an art component not far behind. Whether it be photos, music, or in this case of this post, video, the arts have always helped us hold a mirror up to society to see just what's really going on. The same has happened in the aftermath of this case. Check out the video below directed by Terence Nance. Powerful stuff.

Using Art to Put A Dent in Street Harassment

"Hey ma, just come over here right quick."

"Hello sweetie you got a sec?"

"Dem clothes look real good on you. You got a man?"

These are just some of the things said to women on street corners across America every single day. Many women might continue walking and ignore the verbal slings, but artist Tatyana Fazlalizadeh decided to take a different path.

The Brooklyn resident, who herself has admitted to being street harassed, speaks to various women about their experiences with street harassment, and with their approval, draws their portraits and puts their faces up in differing locations as a way to bring attention to the issue. I think Tatyana's project emphasizes that these taunts are going after women who possess feelings and emotions just like everyone else. And through this project, they're not only making their voices heard, but sending a message.





Stop Telling Women To Smile from Dean Peterson on Vimeo.

Eddie Murphy on Creativity and Art

"It's not the public that inspired an artist to create. An artist feels the need to create even if there is no public. If there were no one on the planet I'd still do funny things. I'd just be laughing by myself."

                                                                    - Eddie Murphy, Playboy, February 1990

2Pac - Changes (1998)

One of the best to ever to do it.

Charles S. Dutton on the Difference Between Entertainers, Actors and Artists

"An entertainer will do anything. An actor will do most things. But an artist will only do those things he or she feels advances civilization."
                                                           
                                                                                       - Charles S. Dutton