Harriet Tubman “Thug Life” (2011)
acrylic on masonite
23" x 32"
this work celebrates Harriet Tubman as a master of technology, time, and ecology. as Black time is not linear, Black freedom as demonstrated by Tubman is never happenstance. contrasting iconic symbols from the Black resistance movement afro indigenous knowledges that assisted with the formation of the underground railroad demonstrates how nature was used by Tubman as a technology for resistance. amplifying how Tubman proclaimed that "we can't go back"- her strategy relied on interdependence and self-defense, which were also imperative aspects of southern organizing during Freedom Summer and the Civil Rights movement.
