On May 25, less than a year ago, 46-year-old George Floyd was stopped by police after a local Minneapolis shop employee claimed he had tried to pass a counterfeit $20 bill. The Minnesota athlete had been a talented young American football player but drifted into a life of petty crime and addiction to painkillers.
The George Floyd Justice Billboard Campaign uses the intersection of art and activism to start a dialogue about injustice. It seeks to make an infamous image depicting the death of George Floyd one that society has to question and contend with. The video of George Floyd's death on May 25, 2020, moved the world to take to the streets in protest. The momentum and focus of the protests waned. By putting billboards in major cities around the country the committee hopes to extend the focus on issues surrounding Floyd's death.
The painting was chosen by the committee because of its depiction of an event that had a global impact. According to Perlis the painting "conveys the entire tragedy in an instant. The painting would be a tribute to Floyd and a strong reminder that the crime is repeated every day across the USA and needs to be stopped." Perlis' paintings have appeared in The New York Times, Art in America, and Art News. His work has been exhibited in the Whitney Museum, Queens Museum of Art, and the National Museum in Poland. For more information go to https://floydjusticebillboard.org or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77COodNZQF8 "Floyd"
The George Floyd Billboard Campaign Committee displayed "FLOYD", an original painting depicting the death of George Floyd, on billboards in major cities around the country. It was displayed in Times Square, New York City, Minneapolis, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C. The committee is comprised of professionals in the arts from diverse disciplines committed to using art to bring about social change. "FLOYD" was painted in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic and BLM protests by Don Perlis, a 79-year-old lifelong New Yorker, and social activist. He debuted his painting of Floyd's murder at the Greenkill Gallery in Kingston, New York in July 2020.
By - Corinne Basabe
The George Floyd trial deepens the political wounds. Black Lives Matter supporters agree that electoral reform is the only way to halt another stolen election. Derek Chauvin’s jury must-have Black members. But the jury questionnaire reportedly raises concerns they may be excluded. Have justice reform allies let down the Black Lives Matter movement since last summer’s police protests?