Celebrate People's History: Ray Jackson
Artwork
Medium:
2 Color Offset Printed Poster
Date:
November 2018
Dimensions:
Artworks -
Height: 17"
Width: 11"
Description:
This a red, maroon, black, and white poster of a photo of a man in red shades that is on the left of the image. To the right of him there is a bubble that reads: “Our decolonization starts now as we, as a people, will no longer accept that we are third class citizens in our own lands. Our colonized status will now be changed as awe take back what is rightfully ours. We must and will speak with one voice and walk as one people.”
There is a dark background on the bottom and there is white text that reads, "Ray Jackson was a proud Aboriginal activist, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, unionist, wharfie, feminist, internationalist, organizer, and insurgent intellectual. Over five decades, Ray dedicated himself to movements fighting to hold the powerful to account and to bring justice to the denied. As one of the founders of the NSW Aboriginal Deaths in Custody Watch Committee and the co-founder and president of the Indigenous Social Justice Association, Ray played a crucial role organizing alongside and on behalf of those most targeted by lethal state violence and racist impunity: our sisters, our brothers, and transgender people, incarcerated in police lock-ups, state prisons, and refugee and immigration prisons. Ray’s fierce commitment, leadership, gentleness and generosity in the midst of unrelenting suffering and oppression will forever demonstrate that all the abuse of power in the world will never be more powerful than Aboriginal sovereignty and solidarity.”
Historical Context:
The Celebrate People’s History posters are rooted in the do-it-yourself tradition of mass-produced political propaganda. These posters embody democracy, inclusion, and group participation in the writing and interpretation of the past. Unlike most political posters, the posters part of the Celebrate People’s History series tell the stories of the underdogs, those individuals and groups helping to move forward the collective struggle of humanity to create a more just world. For 20 years, over 130 different posters have been displayed on the streets of over a dozen cities representing over 150 artists and writers. The Celebrate People’s History Poster Series has been organized and curated by Josh MacPhee since 1998.