Alicia Garza Black Liberation Movement

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Throughout the years we have repeatedly been faced with social issues that require action from certain individuals in order to overcome them. The power of communication is one of the main factors that promotes the success of a social movement; allowing the message to resonate with the public. However, art and design play a big role in visualising and communicating a movement, and it’s message. This essay demonstrates how visual elements and creativity have been used within Black Liberation Movements through history and the present day. It also identifies the ways in which the use of socially charged design has evolved over the years, and the effect it has had on the success of certain movements. The essay takes a look at some of the artwork …show more content…

It also describes Black Live Matter as; a unique contribution that goes beyond the tragic killings of Black people by US law enforcement; and the ideology of Black nationalism. Instead, it is an affirmation of the lives of all Black persons, and centres around the individuals who have been marginalised within Black liberation movements. Alicia Garza, one of the movement founders explains the history of Black Lives Matter in her own entry on the organisation's website. She states that the movement was created by Herself and two sisters, following the late 17-year-old, Trayvon Martin being placed on trial for his own murder. In addition, the killer, George Zimmerman, was not held accountable for the crime he committed. Garza also speaks on how they created Black Lives Matter as a call to action for Black people in response to the racism that infiltrates our society and our movements. However, the movement stems from a long history of Civil Rights activism. In his article on Black Lives Matter, Rickford (2016) writes that despite the youthful ambience of Black Lives Matter, the older generation of activists is willing to connect with the current racial justice advocates. He explains that it emanates from an organic black protest tradition while engaging an avid multicultural following (Rickford …show more content…

It uses the colours blue, white and red which resemble the American flag, where the civil rights movement took place. However, this comes across a lot deeper than just patriotism. The placement of ‘we shall overcome’ in the red and the blue stripes is conceptually significant. According to an article about the meaning of the US flag, although the colours weren’t originally significant to anything, many individuals believe that they represent something more. The red is said to signify courage and strength, the white represents innocence and purity; whilst the blue personifies perseverance and justice(Pariona 2017). Subsequently, this gives the impression that ‘we shall’ being placed in the red communicates the need for courage and strength during the fight to overcome. The placement of ‘overcome’ in the blue conveys that justice will be served once the fight is over. On the other hand, some may argue that the type used for the statement is not readable or striking enough due to how light and illegible it is. Although, in contrast, this may allow the viewer to see the image as a whole, making it easier for them to understand the concept. Additionally, in the centre, the illustration of the three people holding hands, seems to communicate a sense of unity. This would represent the need to stand in solidarity and support each other through the fight. But, the hand pointing

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