This collage is my labor of love in remembrance of so many who have lost their lives at the hands of police brutality. I painted the work to initially describe the Black man’s struggles, as he is involved in the centrifugal focus of hate and violence within America. Constantly crucified, the Black man is collaged with images of ancestral pain, stereotypical arrangements, and a daunting portrait of the fact that this country loves to hate. Laden on the foundation of institutionalized racism and money, traditional Italian Renaissance motifs surround and position themselves to attack the Black man. Around the scene of foreseen violence, bandana/paisley print acts as a symbol for assumed gang violence that plagues the reputations of Black and Brown neighborhoods across America as an excuse for the senseless deaths.

Behind and underneath the collaged scene are the names of over 750 names of Black men, women, and children who were murdered by police brutality from 2009-2019. While these names of individuals are not nearly enough to symbolize the power of recognizing this "Them vs. Us" warfare that Black people are facing, this piece was created to spark the thought. To a viewer who may not correlate the blue and red colors and paisley to be gang-related, to a Black viewer the opinions and thoughts that we face regularly can be made loud and clear. It is important to place dual messages in my work, as well as present the work in such a way that it can be potentially well-received and still speak about the subaltern in the atmosphere, even if it is shown to an all-White audience.