Via Good Free Photos
Nikkolas Smith is no stranger to virality. His image of Martin Luther King, Jr. in a hoodie blew up online after George Zimmerman was acquitted for the murder of Trayvon Martin.
Recently, his lovely, bittersweet digital painting of Atatiana Jefferson playing video games with her nephew in the moments before her death has also gone viral.
“She should still be enjoying her family,” Smith told the Dallas Morning News. “They’re literally in their pajamas at 2 a.m… They shouldn’t be checking for a noise outside and wondering who’s crawling around with a gun.”
Atatiana Jefferson’s killing sparked nationwide protests and outrage, even by members of Congress - the painting was displayed by Rep. Marc Veasey, of Texas, as he made an impassioned plea for action.
Formerly a political cartoonist for the school paper at Hampton University, and later an “imagineer” for Disney, now he focuses on art that uplifts and inspires. “If people can view my artwork and feel compassion, then I think that we can work through all these issues together,” he told the New York Times.
Sometimes that means using his art to fight against the dehumanization and criminalization that Black people experience in our interactions with police.
Whoever we are, we can use our talents and skills to work for Black liberation. We salute Nikkolas Smith and his incredible art!