Roberto Lugo, Do You Know How Hard It Is To Get A Black Man Through High School?, 2019

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Artist Statement:

This work addresses issues of racial equity within the United States as it relates to the murder of Black Citizens by the Police. The title is “Do You Know How Hard It Is To Get A Black Man Through High School” as this was the statement Mike Brown’s mother said in response to her son’s death.

I have always used the self-portrait to convey the message that I have overcome and able to put my face in places where I once didn’t think it belonged.

I traced the shape of my body’s profile to get the scale and shape intended to give a visual representation of the life that is inside that pot. I threw with a low fire earthenware, and painted on it with acrylic paint.

I hope voters will think of the burden placed on Black Americans due to the stress of being discriminated against by police due to their race. The protests have given light to the unrest these murders have caused and I hope that Americans will vote and choose a candidate that acknowledges this treatment and has a plan for how to create a more equitable world.