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I Cant Breathe (In Honor of Black Lives) unapologetically occupies most of one wall at the Colfax Cultural Center. George Floyd is murdered in one corner of the painting. Masked protesters march in the other. The broken and jagged word Justice drips blood over the whole piece.

I try to pay attention and make people realize how much injustice is in this world, artist Teresa Greve Wolf says aboutthe piece.

The Expressionist-style painting is part of the 32nd annual "Art and Social Justice Exhibition," which opened last Friday at the Colfax Gallery inSouth Bend. The exhibit features artwork depicting issues of social justice and continues through Aug.13.

The exhibit features work by local artists and highlights social justice concerns, such as racial inequality, poverty, gendered issues and environmental problems.

For example, one mixed-media piece by Melinda Sofia Bandera,"In memoriam of the trans women who have passed," features an ofrenda with paper flowers in front of a transgender flag. A sculptureby Marsha Heck titled "Wealth v. Poverty from the Cultural Chess Series," made with found objects, depicts an unfair chess game with the pieces made out of random objects.

Artwork centered around the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement are especially prominent and poignant in this years exhibition, which features more than50 pieces from 30 local and regional artists.

The annual event began in 1989 as an exhibition by local artists Jake Webster and Douglas Kinsey and focused on social justice issues of the time. The show then evolved to display the work of many artists and a spectrum of injustices in the United States and world.

Of the dozens of pieces on display this year, five were chosen by Mark Rospenda, curator of collections and exhibitions at the South Bend Museum of Art, as jurors picks.

Rospenda sayshe had to take many pictures of the art and spend extra time to make his final selections.

It was really hard for me to choose just five, he says. I really appreciate all of the artists for all they are doing and making.

One of the jurors pick awards went to Greve Wolf for her work. Created with acrylics, I Cant Breathe (In Honor of Black Lives) utilizes bold colors and stark imagery. Rospenda sayshe was struck by its visual message.

The colors and composition are so strong, he saysand likensits style to Mexican muralism.

Greve Wolf saysshe painted the piece in May 2021, after witnessing the effects of the pandemic and the lasting impact of the murder of Floyd.

I wanted to show how our justice system is broken and maybe create a feeling leading to action in the viewer of my art that will inspire positive change, she saysin an email correspondence.

Originally from Chile, Granger-based Greve Wolf saysshe often focuses on social justice in her artwork. For her, creating such pieces serves as not only a personaloutlet but as a call to action.

This piece is my expression of both desperation and hope, she says.

Anonymity by Shelby Ping seeks to invoke the same sense of urgency, anger and remembrance from its viewers. A winner of one of the jurors picks, Pings work also focuses on police brutality.

Superimposed in grease pencil on newspaper clips, two police officers with their faces hidden by gear, stand over a separate panel in the work. Within the panel, a figure lies prostrate on the ground.

A really big issue with our police force is that these police officers have the privilege of being anonymous, Ping says, referring to both riot gear and anonymity held by officers after incidents of police brutality.

In the smaller panel, Ping says,she made a conscious decision to compose the work in such a way as to invoke a sense that the victim is entrapped and caged in.

I wanted to do work that was different from a square canvas, she says.

Ping saysshe chose newspaper clippings from the summer of 2020 from articles about police brutality and Black Lives Matter protests but also from articles about sports and the stock market.

By putting the images (of police brutality)up front, Im trying to bring these issues back to the forefront, she says.

Pings hope is viewers will be reminded police brutality still occurs even when its not the center of news cycles.

Laurie Rousseau's linoleum relief I Cant Breathe, COVID-19 also won a juror's award.

The relief depictsblood vessels in a set of lungs, made with marbled, red print paper.

I just felt like looking at that piece, I couldnt breathe either, Rospenda saysof the relief.

After the death of George Floyd and the pandemics tolls, I felt compelled to make lungs, Rousseau says.

Rousseau is based out of South Bend and works with a variety of medias including drawing and printmaking. The jurors award piece is coupled by its sibling piece, I Cant Breathe, Black Lives Matter, featuring a marbled set of black and blue lungs vessels.

Another piece in the gallery, Scott Andersons Buffoons and Bigotry at the Border, started as a demo for a class he taught on water colors. After reflecting on the political battleground of the border with Mexico, he painted the border fence on top.

Working then with greased pencil, ink and acrylics, the two-paneled piece was born. In it, three floppy hats, representing Ku Klux Klansmen, with googly eyes, slump near a border fence, an effigy labeled Trump behind them.

Anderson saysthe figures reflect the buffoonery of their own ideology.

My main premise of my artwork is a critique of ideology and dogma, and certainly social justice falls into that category, he says.

The KKK hoods hit you right in the face, Rospenda says. The hoods themselves are goofy and droopy.

The googly eyes and cartoon-like nature of the figures represent the ridiculousness of seeing other people as less than themselves, he explains.

As an artist himself, Rospenda says,art can serve three purposes in relation to social justice.

First, it acts as an outlet for the artists, he says. Second, its a record of the times, something that will outlive the artists themselves.

Finally, the art can be a catalyst for others.

People can see this artwork and talk about what they feel, he says. They are going to stick in people's minds and, hopefully, lead to action.

He sayshe never felt the need to create art about social justice until the events of 2020.

I felt like making artwork about anything else didnt feel important enough, Rospenda says.

I would encourage everyone to see the show, Rospendasays. And bring someone to talk about it.

What:"Art and Social Justice Exhibition"

Where: Colfax Cultural Center, 914 Lincoln Way W., South Bend

When:through Aug.13

Reception: 5 p.m. Friday

Hours:11 a.m. to5 p.m.Mondays throughFridays

For more information: visit sbheritage.org/Colfax-gallery

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Black Lives Matter and pandemic focus of this year's 'Art and Social Justice Exhibition' - South Bend Tribune

TikTok has reportedly blocked users of its Creator Marketplace from being able to use words and phrases including "Black" and "Black Lives Matter" in their bios, flagging the words as "inappropriate content."

Ziggi Tyler, 23, who is a user of the app, discovered the function while he was attempting to update his bio over the Fourth of July weekend. Tyler then posted several videos to the app detailing his findings.

In a screen recording, Tyler showed his followers how he repeatedly attempted to include Black, Black Lives Matter, Black people," Black success, Pro-Black, and I am a Black man in his bio only to receive an"inappropriate content" error, making him unable to update it.

#greenscreenvideo Im going live in 30 minutes to answer questions. Yall need to get this message out. Please. #fyp #fyp #wrong #justice

In the video, Tyler later attempts to add the wordspro-white and supporting white supremacy" to his bio. In those examples, he was able to save the content without receiving an error.

The TikTok Creator Marketplace feature, which is currently in beta testing, aims to help creators connect with brands to form sponsorship deals. Tyler explained to Forbes that he had hoped to use the platform to highlight his racial background to advertisers looking to diversify their talent or launch campaigns focusing on racial justice.

White people can get on here and call me the n-word and make videos about violent extremism but I cant do anything, Tyler said. We cant do anything.

The social media platform attributed Tyler's experience to a flaw within safeguards designed to filter out hate speech.

Our TikTok Creator Marketplace protections, which flag phrases typically associated with hate speech, were erroneously set to flag phrases without respect to word order, a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement to The Hill. We recognize and apologize for how frustrating this was to experience, and our team has fixed this significant error. To be clear, Black Lives Matter does not violate our policies and currently has over 27B views on our platform."

Last month, Black TikTok users decided to go on an indefinite strike, choosing not tochoreograph dances to popular songs after white users of the platform were accused of taking moves from Black users without offering credit. Some of the messages that were then sent by the white users went viral on the platform.

Updated 7:53 p.m.

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TikTok blocked creators from using 'Black Lives Matter' in bios | TheHill - The Hill

Richie Goodwin, the brother of a 26th District Philadelphia police officer, was arrested Wednesday and charged with repeatedly punching a man who showed solidarity with Black Lives Matter supporters near the police station last year.

Goodwin, 45, turned himself in to East Detectives division, where he was charged with assault and recklessly endangering another person.

The night of June 1, 2020, between 4 and 10 p.m., dozens of Fishtown residents called 911 or the 26th District to report they felt unsafe because they saw an agitated group of white men armed with baseball bats, wooden walking clubs, axes, and metal tools threatening, harassing, and, in some cases, assaulting peaceful protesters.

There were some 36 reports of a person with a weapon during that time, yet officers arrested no one on any charge within a half-mile of the district headquarters, according to department records provided by police, an Inquirer investigation found. Instead, Capt. William Fisher and other officers watched.

READ MORE: Why arent you arresting them? Philly officials investigate police after assaults against Fishtown protesters.

Goodwin is charged with assaulting Matt Williams, who was biking home with his girlfriend, Kara Khan, after police teargassed them at a Black Lives Matter protest on I-676. They were near Girard Avenue and Berks Street when someone threw a water bottle at Williams head. Khan got off her bike to walk toward the men, some of whom she could see wielded bats.

She said they accosted her with obscenities and racial slurs.

When she asked the officers who stood near them how they could let this happen, she said one of them told her:

Now you know how we feel.

Then a man, later identified as Goodwin, shoved Williams off his bike to the ground. Goodwin repeatedly punched Williams in the head until his ear and face bled, the District Attorneys Office said. Photos show Williams on his knees, with his hands over his head, in an effort to shield the blows. Blood dripped from his head and ear. At least two bystanders attempted to intervene as Williams was attacked.

Goodwin did not respond to a phone message Wednesday. Last year, he told The Inquirer that Williams started the fight by spitting on him. Williams said he didnt spit at anyone.

What apparently provoked Goodwin was when Williams threw up his fist in solidarity with Black Lives Matter supporters, District Attorney Larry Krasner said.

Just as our city and nation continue to reckon with systemic racism and injustice, the Philadelphia DAs office continues to investigate incidents of property destruction, burglary, harassment, and violence that occurred during the historic uprisings of 2020. We will not tolerate violence in the name of movement protest or in the name of protecting the police, Krasner said.

Goodwin had admitted to a reporter that he also shoved a male protester. I became something that Im not, he said, adding that hes not a racist.

Police are well-familiar with Goodwin. He served prison time for punching a man to death during a 2008 alcohol-fueled brawl. He was on probation when he was arrested in March 2012 for a DUI and a judge sentenced him to a maximum of four years, according to court records.

Goodwin is the second person to be charged in connection with the altercations that erupted in Fishtown on June 1 of last year. Last month, George Graf, 36, was charged with conspiracy, aggravated assault, and related charges for allegedly beating a WHYY producer and his girlfriend.

That night, there were roughly 20 officers on the street just outside the police station on Girard Avenue. Some chatted with the bat-wielding men who said they were there to protect the police and their neighborhood from would-be looters. Earlier, officers even shared pizza and sandwiches with them. As a result, the District Attorneys Office and the Police Departments Internal Affairs Division launched investigations.

READ MORE: Philly police stood by as men with baseball bats protected Fishtown. Some residents were assaulted and threatened.

I think police should do their jobs, which are to apply the law in a way that is evenhanded, Krasner was quoted in The Inquirer investigation. And I find it very problematic when you see law enforcement favoring one group over another and systematically refraining from reining in one group that is committing crimes.

On June 3, 2020, officers went to Goodwins house in Port Richmond. Goodwin had told a reporter he had called a crisis hotline that morning, saying he wanted to kill himself because he was being wrongfully labeled a white supremacist on social media.

Goodwin said his brother, Joseph Jr., an officer since 1996, came to help and drove him to the Philadelphia VA Medical Center. Richie Goodwin served in the Navy from 1995 to 1998 where he said he suffered a brain injury after being attacked in the Persian Gulf.

Theres something wrong with me, he said. I dont want to hurt people.

See the rest here:
Philly cops brother charged with assaulting Black Lives Matter protester in Fishtown - The Philadelphia Inquirer

It's been just over a year since a group of activists in Greater Sudbury got together to rally for the rights of the BIPOCcommunity and join agrowing national and international movement.

Late last spring, the Black Lives Matter Sudbury chapter first formed. The group has since organized rallies and conferences, conducted educational campaigns, and advocated to the local government.

For presidentRa'anaa Brown, it was in May 2020 when she took part in a rally at the Sudbury courthouse, that she wanted to increase her involvement in local activism.

"I saw a lot of activists I had never seen before in town," she said.

Brown had been doing thesis-based research on Black people on the history of art and activism in the United States.

"I felt like it was so perfectly aligned, and I really wanted to get involved and learn more in the movement. And the rest is history."

Ruva Gwekwereresays she had been involved in activism since she was in high school, but it was whilewatching the Black Lives Matter movement grow during the summer of 2020, that led her to want to make sure that was happening locally.

"As a Black person living in the north I was able to see how these issues at home were really potent," she said.

"If I was going to be an activist I couldn't just engage with issues that were happening internationally, I had to engage with local issues as well."

"That's where Black Lives Matter came in and became a really compelling place where I could do that local activism work," Gwekwerere said.

She says there are several issues that are unique to the north, but there are others that are universal across North America, particularly issues with black communities and policing.

Gwekwerere gives examples of problems like police brutality, racial screening and over-policing in BIPOC communities.

"Those are issues that we really need to solve, even in Sudbury," she said.

"Sometimes as activists we feel like our words kind of fall on deaf ears," Brown said, referring to a September presentation the group made to Sudbury City Council. Issues included defunding the police, opportunities for BIPOC artists, and after-school programs for BIPOC youth.

"It's kind of unfortunate that we haven't been able to see the changes," she said.

However, membership within Black Lives Matter Sudbury, and the overall response from the Sudbury community has been positive.

Brown says when the group was first formed there were many folks who denied racism was a problem in Sudbury.

"With the work that Black Lives Matter has been doing pushing forward in this huge educational movement and making people understand that systemic racism is embedded within the foundations of our society and within our city people are starting to see that this does exist," Brown said.

"The community is showing up for us."

To mark its first anniversary, Black Lives Matter Sudbury is holding a rally at Tom Davies Square, starting at 4 p.m today.

"This is an opportunity for us to reflect on all that Black Lives Matter Sudbury has done in the past year, but also thinking about the changes that still need to come, and reflecting on what is still to come in our city," Brown said.

The group has also partnered with Public Health Sudbury and Districts to hold a pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinic. It's meant for people who identify as Black, Indigenous, or people of colour.

"Statistics have found that Black and Indigenous people of colour have a higher rate of hospitalization and death in Canada," Gwekwerere said. "So we really wanted to make sure that we are addressing those systemic issues."

The vaccine clinic is being held at Tom Davies Square at the same time as the rally. Sixty doses of COVID-19 vaccine will be available.

Morning North10:34Black Lives Matter Sudbury marks its first anniversary

Excerpt from:
Black Lives Matter Sudbury reflects on first year of local activism - CBC.ca

About a year ago in a June 2020 column, I posed this question: Is the aftermath of George Floyds killing the beginning of a lasting tide or a mere moment in time?

Were about to find out.

To all those who were newly engaged in the Black Lives Matter protests of last summer, please stick around. This eras work to combat racial bias and to realign policing in America in ways less violent for all has barely begun. Perhaps your socially conscious high schooler wanted to march and you, the supportive parent, soon headed out to your first protest.

Maybe it was your pastor who inspired you by preaching about being our brothers keeper, regardless of skin color. Maybe your book club went all-in by reading How to be an Antiracist or White Fragility: Why Its So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism for your June or July 2020 reading.

For some, these steps were conducted in earnest. For many Americans, these actions were to a large extent performative. Or rather, they were preventative. Doing a quick bit of study on Black history and getting familiar with terminology about oppression was a way to avoid unwittingly uttering something racially offensive.

Whatever the motivation, last summer was a catch-up phase for many people new to the idea of racial and social justice, a time for learning history and gaining perspectives on issues that America should have reckoned with long ago. Consider all of last year prep for what lies ahead in summer 2021.

Brace yourself to be challenged as things are about to get rough across America. The next viral controversial police shooting will soon occur, if it hasnt already. Police shoot and kill nearly 1,000 people a year. Many cases are questionable under honest assessments. George Floyds murder stands outside of the so-called gray area of these tragedies.

The person, probably a Black man, will be just as dead. His family just as devastated.

Black activists, people who have spent their lives working to prevent such deaths, will be justifiably enraged. Will white gazes be averted, their attention less rapt this time around? Will they be able to sustain their fledgling activism through another protest-filled summer? Well see.

Its unquestionable that many white Americans had their moral compass shaken by Floyds murder. To watch a man have the life literally choked out of him, that was a step too far to ignore. But generally, across the country, many white people are safely isolated from the brutal ways that policing looks different for people of color.

Systems dont change quickly, even when everyone is aligned in the same direction. Sustained passion, pressure and cooperation from many diverse voices will be necessary for many years to come.

The power of last summers marches was that they drew such a wide spectrum of America.

The goal now will be to stay engaged, to lean into finding avenues beyond marching to be productive. This could be as small as donating to a group working on these causes or being the calm, informed voice among friends and family who continues conversations about policing and race whenever the next high-profile incident occurs.

Because we know that it will come.

People declared that Black Lives Mattered across America in 2020.

They still do, and we need to continue to act like it.

2021 Tribune Content Agency LLC

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Will Black Lives Matter in the summer of 2021? - Watertown Daily Times