TIME makes a powerful statement on Black motherhood with its newest cover
TIME
"In her expression, I see the Black mothers who are unseen, and rendered helpless in this fury against their babies," Kaphar writes in a piece accompanying his painting.
For nearly 100 years America has seen its historic moments reflected on the cover of TIME magazine, and this week the cover reflects what happens when a nation ignores its own history.
The red border around the cover lists the names of 35 Black people killed by fellow Americans and systemic racism and centers the pain of Black mothers as represented in a painting by artist Titus Kaphar.
“In her expression, I see the Black mothers who are unseen, and rendered helpless in this fury against their babies,” Kaphar writes in a piece accompanying his painting. “As I listlessly wade through another cycle of violence against Black people, I paint a Black mother … eyes closed, furrowed brow, holding the contour of her loss.”
The oil painting is titled Analogous Colors, and Kaphar cut his canvas to symbolize lives cut too short, leaving so many mothers’ arms empty.
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The names of just a few of the deceased border Kaphar’s painting. They are:
Trayvon Martin
Yvette Smith
Eric Garner
Michael Brown
Laquan McDonald
Tanisha Anderson
Akai Gurley
Tamir Rice
Jerame Reid
Natasha McKenna
Eric Harris
Walter Scott
Freddie Gray
William Chapman
Sandra Bland
Darrius Stewart
Samuel DuBose
Janet Wilson
Calin Roquemore
Alton Sterling
Philando Castile
Joseph Mann
Terence Crutcher
Chad Robertson
Jordan Edwards
Aaron Bailey
Stephon Clark
Danny Ray Thomas
Antwon Rose
Botham Jean
Atatiana Jefferson
Michael Dean
Ahmaud Arbery
Breonna Taylor
George Floyd.
When George Floyd was killed he called out for his mother, who died two years before he did. He called “Mama!… Mama, I’m through.”
Kaphar’s painting and his accompanying words tell the story that has been ignored throughout American history. “This black mother understands the fire. Black mothers understand despair. I can change nothing in this world, but in paint, I can realize her. That brings me solace … not hope, but solace. She walks me through the flames of rage. My black mother rescues me yet again. I need to be sure that they can see her. I want to be certain that her story is told. And so this time, America needs to hear her voice.”
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