Tag: social justice

Acclaimed photographer LaToya Ruby Frazier took portraits of Breonna Taylor’s family for the cover story of Vanity Fair’s September issue (guest-edited by Ta-Nehisi Coates, with words by Breonna’s mother Tamika Palmer). Below is LaToya’s powerfully moving statement on the project.

 

Learn more about LaToya Ruby Frazier and The Lavin Agency’s  Social Justice Speakers.

From a Tropical Space is the latest series from Titus Kaphar, the award-winning painter, sculptor, and MacArthur “Genius.” Although the New York exhibition of this work has been postponed, Kaphar is currently the focus of Gagosian’s latest “Artist Spotlight.” In a new interview with Vulture, the artist speaks candidly about the project he describes as a “surrealist, fictional Afro-futuristic narrative” about black mothers and the disappearance of their children.

Much of Titus Kaphar’s past work is rooted in art history. At first glance, From a Tropical Space seems to be a departure from that focus. “We don’t see very many pictures of black women in art history, period. They are not our Madonnas. They’re not our Venuses. They are not our odalisque,” Kaphar tells Vulture. “What we have is the depiction of black folks in general, and black women specifically, as enslaved and [in] servitude.”

 

Yet upon closer inspection, the work has more to do with the canon than first meets the eye. “When I looked at the compositions themselves, I realized that this [series] is a conversation about the Madonna. This is a conversation about the Pietà. These are mothers mourning the loss of their children. So in that way, the relationship to art history is there. It’s just, the expression has changed.”

 

The series depicts portraits of black mothers with their children erased from the canvas, leaving a blank cut-out where there bodies should be. Kaphar explains that they were removed very precisely with a razor blade, and that the work relates to the trauma these mothers are experiencing. “That kind of anxiety, that kind of fear in these paintings, culminates into this moment of absence.”

 

Read his full interview here.

 

To book speaker Titus Kaphar for your next event, contact The Lavin Agency today, and connect with a knowledgeable member of our sales team.

Creator Nikole Hannah-Jones reexamined the legacy of slavery in America in the ambitious project, which recognized the 400th anniversary of the first enslaved Africans arriving in Virginia. For her introductory essay, Hannah-Jones has been awarded the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for commentary. 

New York Times Magazine’s ‘The 1619 Project’ was perhaps the most talked about piece of journalism of the year, featuring inspiring work from Black authors, journalists, activists, and artists. Nikole Hannah-Jones, the creator and lead writer on the project, penned the introductory essay under the powerful headline ‘Our Democracy’s Founding Ideals Were False When They Were Written. Black Americans Have Fought to Make Them True.’

 

In it, she writes, “But it would be historically inaccurate to reduce the contributions of black people to the vast material wealth created by our bondage. Black Americans have also been, and continue to be, foundational to the idea of American freedom. More than any other group in this country’s history, we have served, generation after generation, in an overlooked but vital role: It is we who have been the perfecters of this democracy.”

 

Thought-provoking and beautifully written, Hannah-Jones’ essay will be remembered for being one of the most impactful modern pieces on the subject of race and slavery. Upon learning of her Pulitzer win, she called the project “the most important work of my life.”

 

Read her full essay here.

 

To book speaker Nikole Hannah-Jones for your next event, contact The Lavin Agency today, her exclusive speakers bureau.

 

As new coronavirus cases surge and more and more people self-isolate to flatten the curve, the nation’s economy continues to plummet. On Twitter, the suggestion that older people should sacrifice themselves for the sake of the economy is only one indication of how ageism and ableism are being laid bare during this pandemic. Ashton Applewhite tackles the issue in her latest op-ed.  

The Zo is a groundbreaking new video project exploring the twisted realities of prison life, illustrated by superstar artist Molly Crabapple and narrated by The Wire’s Emmy-Award winning actor Michael K. Williams.

To book speaker Molly Crabapple, contact her exclusive speakers bureau, The Lavin Agency. 

Dr. Angela Davis is a brilliant educator, political activist and author. She’s used her immense intellectual acumen to champion the idea that a world where all of humanity can flourish is not only worth pursuing, but possible. Her timeless contributions to human rights pursuits and uplifting Black voices are just part of why she is one of ten leaders profiled in Paper Magazine’s feature on Colin Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Camp (KYRC).

What started as an idea by Colin Kaepernick and his wife Nessa—months before he famously took a knee during the national anthem in protest of systemic anti-Blackness in the justice system—KYRC has grown into a powerful movement for educating and empowering Black youth across the nation. It’s focused around 10 fundamental human rights, that, according to Kaepernick. represent the affirmations that ought to be enjoyed by Black people worldwide. Rights like; to be Educated, to be Free, to be Safe, and to be Alive.

Without the monumental efforts of Black Americans in the face of incredible opposition, democracy as we know it would not exist. Nikole Hannah-Jones is lifting up the remarkable contributions of Black Americans to the nation, and acknowledging the true, fraught beginnings of American history, with her groundbreaking 1619 Project. 

A major multimedia initiative, The 1619 Project is a series of essays and art which explore how virtually every aspect of American society—from infrastructure, to industry, to culture—were shaped by and dependent on slavery. Developed and spearheaded by New York Times staff writer Nikole Hannah-Jones, and featuring work by Black American authors, activists, journalists, and artists, the project is available online as an interactive website; makes up the entirety of August’s New York Times Magazine print issue; and will continue an ongoing series of lectures and special live events.

 

For a holistic and accurate view of American history, we need to acknowledge that the year 1619—when colonists brought over the first boat of enslaved Africans—is just as important as 1776. Says Hannah-Jones: “…it would be historically inaccurate to reduce the contributions of black people to the vast material wealth created by our bondage. Black Americans have also been, and continue to be, foundational to the idea of American freedom,” in the first essay of the project.

 

The 1619 Project is beautiful, heartbreaking, unprecedented, and absolutely essential. The personal stories, political essays, and historical events explored and exposed within provide indisputable proof of the need for America to rewrite our narrative, and finally tell the truth.

 

 

To book speaker Nikole Hannah-Jones, contact The Lavin Agency, her exclusive speakers bureau.

In her new book Charged, renowned journalist, podcaster, and legal commentator Emily Bazelon exposes the unchecked power of prosecutors as a driving force in America’s mass incarceration crisis—and charts an actionable path to fix it.    

To book Emily Bazelon for your next event, contact The Lavin Agency, her exclusive speakers bureau.

Angie Thomas is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Hate U Give, which garnered widespread critical acclaim and was turned into a major motion picture. Thomas’ highly anticipated sequel On the Come Up, is out Feb. 5. Read an exclusive excerpt in Entertainment Weekly. 

In the video below, Thomas talks about her inspiration for On the Come Up, a book about, “what it means to be young and black in America, when freedom of speech isn’t always free.” 

 

 

To book Angie Thomas for your next speaking event, contact The Lavin Agency.