The Black community in the United States has been struggling for equality and justice for many centuries. With the abolition of slavery after the Civil War, African Americans started their journey toward liberty and equal rights. Unfortunately, discrimination exists even today – gun violence against Blacks on behalf of the American police has sparked unrest across the country. As African Americans systematically face injustice, Black LGBTQ communities struggle even more.
Therefore, when addressing the challenges faced by African Americans, society should also consider the struggles of LGBTQ people in the Black community. Neglect may further disrupt the integrity of American culture and lead to adverse consequences to the country as a whole. This paper will discuss how artists and singers express support for LGBTQ people among African Americans.
Jessica is a young artist from Los Angeles, California, who has created numerous works supporting the LGBTQ community, African Americans, and other minorities. When public unrest, caused by several killings of Black individuals by police, started, it was natural for Jessica to release the painting. Millions of people around the world expressed their support and coined the term “Black Lives Matter.” A closed fist raised in the air became the symbol of the movement. Jessica mixed this symbol with rainbow colors that represent the LGBTQ movement to create her final work (“LGBTQ | Black Lives Matter | BLM | Canvas Painting | Wall Art | Hand-painted | Pride”).
In humanities, imagination is often used as a concept to explain the intentions of people when engaging in an activity. In other words, to interpret an artwork, one should consider what the author may have imagined. In this context, Jessica wanted to create a painting that would evoke an emotional response in viewers. In particular, she wanted to show that even the Black community is diverse, and empathy should be shown to all of its members. Also, the painter calls for unity among Black people – acceptance of minorities within the Black community is significant.
Diversity is the key concept that should be perceived when interpreting the symbols of the Black Lives Matter movement or any other call for social reform. All people are different, but it does not mean that human beings should be rated based on how different they are. Janelle Monae supports this statement in her music video for “Django Jane” (NMAAM). The main topic of the video is that Black women have the capacity to achieve the same accomplishments reached by other groups (Bengal). In other words, superiority cannot be measured using race, sexual orientation, or gender. Differences in these three aspects provide no objective reason to segregate and discriminate.
However, there is significant intolerance toward some minorities in the world. For instance, racism is still an issue even in the 21st century, while LGBTQ is banned in many countries. Even in the United States, LGBTQ members do not have the same rights as other people. Black LGBTQ individuals struggle twice as hard – they face institutional racism while confronting criticism on behalf of other African Americans. Therefore, when screaming “Black Lives Matter,” one should remember that there are people with different sexual orientations or gender than most the individuals.
Despite these challenging times for minorities, there is hope that the situation will improve. The number of advocates of African Americans and LGBTQ individuals is growing, and some of them believe that violence and injustice will be replaced by empathy, mutual understanding, equality, and peace. In “Glory Falls,” the author of the poem suggests that all violence that is bred against minorities will only disrupt the community and will not benefit any side of the confrontation (Angelou).
However, she believes that these challenges will teach invaluable lessons that will help humanity grow and prosper in the future. Eventually, hate and despair will fade away, opening the doors to harmony. However, mere waiting will not yield any benefits, which is why it is important for both African Americans and LGBTQ community to take a stand. It is significant that voices are shared in order for others to see the experiences of oppressed communities. Another critical factor is how well minorities can organize and unite within them. In this context, the role of artists, singers, and other public individuals is vital. They have the capacity to reach broad audiences in order to deliver powerful messages.
Even though the world has become technologically and economically developed, issues that have existed since ancient ages continue to be present today. One such example is racism – intolerance to other cultures and nations has sparked many wars and violent conflicts. LGBTQ community members are facing similar challenges, especially if they are Black. The primary way of calling for mutual understanding is by informing the public about the personal experiences of LGBTQ individuals and calling for action. In this context, artists and singers are doing an incredible job – they are creating paintings that inspire and are writing music that empowers.
Works Cited
Angelou, Maya. “Glory Falls.” PoemHunter. 2015. Web.
Bengal, Rebecca. “You Don’t Own or Control Me.” The Guardian. 2018. Web.
NMAAM. “Black & Proud: LGBTQ Artists Are the Pride of Black Music.” National Museum of African American Music, 2020. Web.
“LGBTQ | Black Lives Matter | BLM | Canvas Painting | Wall Art | Hand-painted | Pride.” Etsy. Web.