Malcolm X was and will always represent a warrior in my mind. It is for this reason I chose him to be the King of Spades. He was raised in my hometown, Lansing in Michigan. There are two different residences said to be occupied by him. Coincidentally they are both less than 10 minutes from my studio. This is the first piece of the collection representing a figure who passed by way of murder.

My goal of Black is King is to celebrate simply being black without a label. I painted this not dwelling on the loss of Malcolm, but celebrating his life. I purposely selected a photo of him smiling, rather than the iconic picture of him peaking out the window with a gun. Today we praise our skin and culture without feeling the need to look over our shoulder.
 
Black is King Collection Limited Edition Prints. Edition Size : 50
 
Print size
16in X 20in Print
 
**20% of these profits will be allocated to purchasing black children’s books and freely distributing them in Lansing, Michigan.