Illuminating the path toward freedom
As I was designing this mural, I was given an extended opportunity to reflect on the current state of our society. As I experienced the new challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic and witnessed the continued protests against police brutality, escalating abuses of civil rights, and the exponential growth of economic inequality; the role of slavery in this country became that much more relevant. In thinking about the scars of the African diaspora I had to reflect on the countless individuals who struggled and sacrificed to get us to where we are and millions more individuals carrying on that struggle today.
Frederick Douglass and his legacy lay at the nexus of the past, present and the future of this country. His rise from enslavement and his emphasis on personal education and self- improvement are a lasting example of the pride and self-esteem that I hope all oppressed people can aspire to.
While Frederick Douglass was a major inspiration for the design of the mural, I was also heavily influenced by the protests against the occupation of Mount Rushmore and the sacred lands that it lies upon. I decided to protest the injustice of Mount Rushmore by forming a monument of my own. The monument is broken into three main structures that embody the thematic elements of the piece. I utilized images capturing Frederick Douglass at different points of his life in order to create a procession of towering figures that age as they draw toward the viewer, emphasizing the passage of time as each figure draws closer to the foreground. The background is a contemporary image of Washington Street which reflects the the path that Douglass made during his visit to the city 150 years ago connecting past with present. Finally the quote within the yellow banner at the bottom of image was chosen to inspire perseverance in the face of seemingly endless adversity. Through his pursuit of freedom, equality and self-actualization Frederick Douglass took some of the first major strides in the fight for equality and in doing so he lead us to the path we walk today. I named the mural " Illuminating the path toward freedom" in homage to the legacy of Frederick Douglass as a catalyst in the birth civil rights movement. Likewise, this title is intended to evoke the history of Newburgh; it's role in the underground railroad, the city's role as a pioneer at the birth of the electric age, and the sincere hope that the citizens of Newburgh themselves become pioneers in the struggle for equality.
