Both Sides of the Racial Divide

Both Sides of the Racial Divide is my response after the Emmanuel Nine shooting in Charleston, SC.  I used glass – a material that can be both fragile and enduring – to depict both hopeful possibilities and hurtful realities.  At its center, a stream flows around a parallel nail representing an absence of resistance and stress. The nail not only possesses religious symbolism but it is also symbolic of hard work, utility and beautiful design.

The black and white glass is of equal weight and it’s a reminder that the majority of us regardless of our race are compelled by fulfilling work, family and faith. Those on the fringe are compelled by attention, resentment, hatred and bigotry. It’s the few whom often disrupt the majority. When our communities can live in peace, when we are comfortable being different, when we can celebrate our cultures rather than criticize them - it is then that we can serve our purpose well.