defacement
“What then did you expect when you unbound the gag that muted those black mouths? That they would chant your praises? Did you think that when those heads that our fathers had forcibly bowed down to the ground were raised again, you would find adoration in their eyes?”
“Man is born free; and everywhere he is in chains. One thinks himself the master of others, and still remains a greater slave than they.”
“It’s all a matter of ideas, and God is just one idea I don’t accept. It’s not important. I am not going out and commit crimes or be immoral because I don’t believe in God. I don’t even think about it. It’s just that I get so tired of Him getting credit for all the things the human race achieves through its own stubborn effort. There simply is no God! There is only Man, and it’s he who makes miracles!”
Film · At the center of this compendium is Spike Lee's 1989 film Do The Right Thing which bears a staggering resemblance to The United States 31 years later. it's a tragic and overt look at racial injustice, while also providing a nuanced commentary on the “right” way to seek justice. The complementing and conflicting ideologies of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X are one example of these complementing and conflicting ideologies.
Words I · Malcolm X kept a heavily marked copy of John Paul Sartre's Black Orpheus in his personal library.
Paintings · These works were part of Guggenheim’s 2019 Basquiat exhibit which centered around his painting The Death of Michael Stewart—known informally as Defacement. The paintings commemorate Michael Stewart, the young, Black artist killed by New York City Transit Police officers who were all acquitted of any wrongdoing.
Installation · These stills from Arthur Jafa's incredible video art installation Love is the Message, The Message is Death don't do it justice. A compendium of images and clips itself, it reminds us how powerful and necessary documenting injustice around us is, and the part we play in enacting change. Jafa is also a longtime collaborator of Lee's.
Words II · The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau was one of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s favorite books. It elevates reason and democracy above all else.
Photos · Jafa cites Jacob Holdt's American Photographs collection as an inspiration for his own work. As an outsider traveling across The United States, Holdt was able to capture how poverty disproportionately impacts people of color in urban and rural areas. His photographs hold a sense of both disbelief and gratitude for the hospitality he received throughout his travels.
Music · Ultralight Beam by Kanye West accompanies Love is the Message, embodying Jafa's sentiment that the "collective multitude defining Blackness is comprised of singular individuals, manifold identities and their unaccountable differences." In it “Spike” is called out in for his oversimplified portrayal of violence and oppression in his 2015 film Chi-Raq.
Words III · In stark contrast to the God-centric view in our song, this passage from Lorraine Hansberry's play A Raisin in the Sun laments our willingness to blame and give credit to anything or anyone other than ourselves. Lee provided commentary for the un-filmed screenplay.