In late August 2015, I entered a poster in the #iamthemany competition, a nationwide poster competition hosted by ACT / ART and the White House to bring attention to criminal justice issues through the arts. I needed 100 votes and 100 original comments to be considered for the finalist exhibition and move on to the juried phase, and as of August 28, I had met met those thresholds. (So, check back for updates on the competition.) And if you'd like to vote or comment, you can do so here. (The official deadline is August 31, but feel free to add a comment even after that date.)

Anyway, while the competition is exciting, I created this poster because race-based (in)justice is an important issue to me - as a person, in general, and as a black person, in specific. From my own "comment" on the poster:

it is a tragic reality that people of color and other marginalized persons often confront a system of "justice" distinct from the one faced by other groups. my poster, a blend of collage and drawing, attempts to present this stark reality, with a nod toward its historic roots, in a simple but graphic way.

of course, the sadder reality is that many people never even make it to a courthouse or even a jailhouse. instead, we find our family, friends, neighbors summarily executed, without justification and sometimes by the very people and the institutions meant to protect us.

the many include trayvon martin, mike brown, eric garner, tamir rice, sandra bland - the people whose names we have all heard so much in recent months. but there are MANY more. like jim crow of the early to mid-20th century, the dispensation of justice (and, consequently, mercy) in this country continues a racist, discriminatory tradition that we have yet to reconcile and rectify. we are complicit and thus accountable. we are the many. #iamthemany