"THESE ARE TIMES" The Legacy of Homer Plessy

Homer Plessy (of Plessy vs Ferguson) a black man,  was arrested for buying a ticket and riding in a train car designated for white people. At the site of his arrest is currently a historical marker thanks to the hard work of community members.  The NOCCA Institute commissioned me to activate the space now known as Plessy Park and pay tribute to Homer's legacy.

These are Times was designed with the help of Carl Joe Williams, Jon Moody, and Paul Wright and was produced with much help from Langston Allston.

(I’m honored to have been able to work with Langston on this project). Other great artists helped, including Charlie Vaughn and Asia Palmer.

There are no photos of Homer Plessy; before joining the citizens committee, he was a shoemaker. This mural celebrates the everyday man who stands up and fights for civil and human rights. It is a series of vignettes that show pieces of the struggles of civil rights in America, the accomplishments of past activism, and visions of an ideal future. The mural's centerpiece is a blindfolded black boy holding the scales of justice next to a dancing black boy dressed as Liberty, asking the viewer what liberty and justice might look like through another person's eyes. Much of the mural’s message is summarized by Gian Smith in the newspaper article on the far left of the wall.  The title of the piece comes from the poem on the little boy's shirt, which was written by Kataalyst Alcindor.