Waiting to Have My Say | Created by Carolyn Crump from Houston, TX.

Waiting to Have My Say

Created by:

Carolyn Crump from Houston, TX

Exhibit:

Racism: In the Face of Hate We Resist

Artist Statement:

African Americans often fail to get a fair trial in court when accused of a crime in the American justice system. The principle “innocent until proven guilty” does not apply. Early in American history, angry white mobs used violence as their own form of “justice,” and carried out thousands of lynchings. The presumption of innocence doctrine has been described as the foundation of fairness in the American legal system, a system designed to protect innocent citizens from wrongful conviction. Most white people automatically associate a Black with being guilty, and a white face with not being guilty. America’s prisons are filled with African Americans who don’t belong there. Many have also been executed based on false evidence.

Although the right to a fair trial is accepted by many nations as a fundamental human right, and most countries are required to respect it, this is not always the case, especially for those seen as the minority. In an ideal world, a jury is the key element of due process protections, gives voice to community values and is the guardian of the public trust. African Americans have, for the entire history of the United States, faced a legal system that treats them far differently than its white citizens. It is my hope this issue will one day change, and all citizens are treated equally in the eyes of the law.

2017
39½" x 32"
Hand painted, commercial fabric, cotton batting; machine appliquéd and quilted.