Look Back To Move Forward
Donation protected
“[Our art] must communicate to its viewer a statement of truth, of action, of education, of conditions and a state of being to our people. We wanted to speak to them and for them, by having our common thoughts, feelings, trials and tribulations express our total existence as a people.”
-Barbara Jones-Hogu, founding member of the African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists (AfriCOBRA) in Chicago, IL
In Look Back To Move Forward we are making it our mission to live and breathe Barbara Jones-Hogu’s words. We are a collaborative project between the students and educators at CVCA, The Newberry Library, Lillstreet Art Center and artist Charity White. This project investigates Chicago's complicated history of race relations through the lens of art activism and highlights the Chicago Black Arts Movement. During the collaboration, students learned about art activism, the 1919 Chicago race riots, and the AfriCOBRA art movement. Throughout this interdisciplinary project students have developed powerful tools of communicating and creatively addressing issues within their lives through the arts.
Please join us by giving as generously as you are able to help us build a temporary installation at the 29th Street beach where Eugene Williams was murdered and the riot broke out. The installation will be on display from July 27th-August 3rd. Donations will go toward funding installation costs, event planning, and performer costs. Please contact me directly if you have suggestions on companies or organizations that would be interested in donating in-kind goods (food, tables, chairs, tents, port-a-potties, etc).
Story Behind The Project:
On July 27, 1919 Eugene WIlliams, a 17-year old African American boy, was swimming in Lake Michigan with friends on a raft that they had made. Unbeknownst to them, the raft drifted into a “white only” area of the beach, violating the unofficial segregation of Chicago’s beaches. For this, Eugene was stoned by white beach-goers until he drowned. No one was ever held accountable for this murder.
Large groups demanding justice for Eugene were met by white gang and police aggression igniting eight days of rioting in Chicago. This resulted in 38 deaths, 537 injured, and over 1,000 left homeless - all of which overwhelmingly affected the African American community.
Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland, LaQuan McDonald, Philando Castile, Kendra James, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Alton Sterling, along with so many others. This is an old story but it is also a very alive story in our country today. According to the most recent data on homicides in Chicago, in 2011 over 75% of those murdered were black, 53% were twenty five years old or younger, and 90% were male.
Now, more than ever before, we need to look back on our history, in order to move forward in creating a future for all of the children of our city.
The in-process sculpture of Eugene Williams modeled after a CVCA student:
-Barbara Jones-Hogu, founding member of the African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists (AfriCOBRA) in Chicago, IL
In Look Back To Move Forward we are making it our mission to live and breathe Barbara Jones-Hogu’s words. We are a collaborative project between the students and educators at CVCA, The Newberry Library, Lillstreet Art Center and artist Charity White. This project investigates Chicago's complicated history of race relations through the lens of art activism and highlights the Chicago Black Arts Movement. During the collaboration, students learned about art activism, the 1919 Chicago race riots, and the AfriCOBRA art movement. Throughout this interdisciplinary project students have developed powerful tools of communicating and creatively addressing issues within their lives through the arts.
Please join us by giving as generously as you are able to help us build a temporary installation at the 29th Street beach where Eugene Williams was murdered and the riot broke out. The installation will be on display from July 27th-August 3rd. Donations will go toward funding installation costs, event planning, and performer costs. Please contact me directly if you have suggestions on companies or organizations that would be interested in donating in-kind goods (food, tables, chairs, tents, port-a-potties, etc).
Story Behind The Project:
On July 27, 1919 Eugene WIlliams, a 17-year old African American boy, was swimming in Lake Michigan with friends on a raft that they had made. Unbeknownst to them, the raft drifted into a “white only” area of the beach, violating the unofficial segregation of Chicago’s beaches. For this, Eugene was stoned by white beach-goers until he drowned. No one was ever held accountable for this murder.
Large groups demanding justice for Eugene were met by white gang and police aggression igniting eight days of rioting in Chicago. This resulted in 38 deaths, 537 injured, and over 1,000 left homeless - all of which overwhelmingly affected the African American community.
Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland, LaQuan McDonald, Philando Castile, Kendra James, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Alton Sterling, along with so many others. This is an old story but it is also a very alive story in our country today. According to the most recent data on homicides in Chicago, in 2011 over 75% of those murdered were black, 53% were twenty five years old or younger, and 90% were male.
Now, more than ever before, we need to look back on our history, in order to move forward in creating a future for all of the children of our city.
The in-process sculpture of Eugene Williams modeled after a CVCA student:
Organizer
Charity White
Organizer
Chicago, IL
