We Need Each Other 13
This print is about our interdependence as human beings and the importance of supporting each other at a time when states and governments are failing our most vulnerable community members and the pandemic devastates people of color. The current system of racial capitalism prioritizes profits over people, animals and the planet itself. The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed what so many already knew, that our system is not sustainable and is not set up to care for us during our lifetimes. On the contrary, it’s set up to exploit most of us and to treat our communities as if they were disposable. The massive wealth in this country is the result of stolen land and stolen labor, and it is hoarded by the wealthiest white men and does not reach the people who need it most.
It’s time to transition to another way, to imagine and embody a new system of mutual aid, cooperation, collaboration and interdependence, one that includes that natural world as well. The old system wasn’t working before and it’s falling apart now. We Need Each Other.
The words for this print series was inspired by, “No Going Back: A COVID-19 Cultural Strategy Activation Guide for Artists and Activists,” which is a guide that I helped launch in collaboration with my organization, The Center for Cultural Power. Each print is a unique collage arrangement of my favorite shapes, with a layer of linoleum block printed on top. As the pandemic began to hit the West Coast in early March 2020, I connected and strategized with social movement leaders to understand what were some of the key messages that we needed to amplify, and this was one of them. I created a unique collage arrangement for each piece because I wanted to incorporate playfulness and softness, while also including a strong message.