LIBERTY & JUSTICE  

Erica ​Génécé 

LIBERTY & JUSTICE is inspired by the 2020 social landscape lead by the Black Lives Matter movement. The largest movement in the history of the United States. In 2020 alone, 15 million to 26 million people joined protests in response to the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and a growing list of lives lost as a result of police brutality. Summer of 2020 shone a light highlighting the deeply rooted systematic racism designed to keep our communities from flourishing. “The leading country of such struggles … United States. A nation that has been dealing with race issues since before its inception.”

 LIBERTY & JUSTICE is accompanied by conversations surrounded around racial tension, identity, representation, social justice, and freedom. “I wanted to speak, I wanted to give us a voice, and I do those both through my art. I wanted to interview 6 people of color, coming from different walks of life, some immigrants, others born and raised here, to give a broad spectrum of what BLACK is, to understand that being Black is not just one thing: it’s more than a stereotype.” Génécé enlisted New York-based creators, entrepreneurs, and business professionals with diverse backgrounds, including Génécé’s​ husband Paul, a recurring figure in the artist works. “I photographed them on a draped, sea green fabric; an ode the Statue of Liberty, and all she is supposed to stand for. Liberty and Justice FOR ALL.”

Notable changes have occurred as a result of the awareness brought by the protests of 2020. In New York, a controversial law that kept police records secret was repealed by lawmakers, Mississippi voters replaced their 126-year-old Confederate state flag, but only six states have banned police chokeholds, and the Minneapolis city council pledge to defund the police have been halted. It’s obvious we have much work to do. But how do we keep the fight alive? Let’s talk about it. LIBERTY & JUSTICE invites its viewers to step outside of the art watcher’s role. It invites them to join the conversation. LIBERTY & JUSTICE is part of an evolving series by ​Génécé​ focused on highlighting Black Excellence. 

 “Talking is healing, talking is strength, talking is power.” Erica ​Génécé