My parents told me about Chairman Fred Hampton when I was a kid. I couldn’t help but wonder about the futility — or even frivolity — of art-making in the face of social injustice and inequity. What finally turned me were the long discussions I had with Chairman Fred Hampton Jr. and his mother, Akua Njeri (née Deborah Johnson). That so little has changed since Chairman Fred Hampton’s killing is nearly unbearable. But, like Chairman Fred knew — and lived and died — the only way to forge a better future is to fight like hell trying.

Source: Los Angeles Times February 22, 2021 15:56 UTC