If protests make public what is generally kept private, then someone needs to tell America that their racism is showing.   Since March, several states have taken widespread quarantine safety measures (social distancing, shelter in place, & temporary business closures) to combat the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Some, like protesters in front of the Humboldt County Courthouse in Eureka, CA, object to the CDC safety measures viewing them as infringements on their freedom & civil liberties.  Quarantine protests, like this one on May 15th, reveal America's underpinnings may be sadly soiled beyond repair and destined for removing, refreshing and repurposing.  

In the spirit of reusing and recycling in order to reduce waste, it may be necessary to acknowledge some problematic protest signage.  Some signs' rhetoric equated the mandatory wearing of personal protective equipment (PPE) to the mandatory compulsory wearing of torture masks (used on Africans trafficked into slavery) and the sometimes mandatory wearing of muzzles (used for dogs in obedience training).  The protesters' signs explicitly reveal a lack of historical knowledge and imply a false equivalence that negates the humanity of trafficked individuals and the basic dignity of all beings.

Art & Resistance 4- Unmasked is a collection inspired by this protest imagery/ rhetoric and extended as a means of: (1) calling out racist rhetoric to interrupt problematic behavior while (2) calling in an opportunity to explore history & intention more deeply, make meaning collectively, and find a mutual sense of understanding across difference.