My Dad “Grandpuba” loves history books. He used to work for the sanitation department. Sometimes he would bring history books home after work. They were books that I never seen before especially in school. They were purchased at a book store in Harlem on Lenox Avenue called Liberation Bookstore (Now located at 156 Street Amsterdam Avenue). Thorough black history books examining racism of the United States, I would read these books for hours. I especially enjoyed books by J.A Rogers who was known for precise history of African and African Americans. One of the many topics which stood out for me was the “one Drop rule” a tactic formed during the segregation of black people. The one drop rule was formed stating that a person of African ancestry, no matter what percent of “white blood” they had they will be classified as Black and will not have the benefits or right as white Americans. It was the way to keep the races separated and to enforce the Jim Crow Laws of the South.I wanted to use the coffee and cream concept and include the image of the American flag. The Jim Crow Laws was a racial caste system formed during the Reconstruction period after the Civil War and only used in America at that time. It ended when the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed to outlaw discrimination in public accommodations.
It was created It was very difficult to create faces on the cream holder and the coffee mug. I wanted this image to clearly tell the story without using words. I think that it would make a great illustration spot for a magazine article someday.
The painting is available or purchase.
