In response to the nationwide protests against police brutality, University of New Mexico students Julia Wagner and Savina Romero have used their artistic talents to paint over 170 portraits of those who have lost their lives at the hands of police.
Wagner and Romero titled their art project “See Their Faces, Say Their Names.”
Since George Floyd’s murder on May 25, people around the world have taken to the streets to protest police brutality, and Albuquerque has been no exception.
“We are attempting to bring awareness to these lives that have been wrongfully and permanently lost,” Wagner said.
Wagner and Romero are not just painting portraits of Floyd but also of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade and the many other Black individuals who have been killed by police in the United States. They said they want to ensure that the portraits will help deepen the understanding of the lost souls.
“We will remember the victim not just as ‘news’ or as a ‘number’ but as the actual person that existed in the world, the essence of their smile,” Romero said.
Wagner and Romero said their end goal is not only to spread the truths about the realities of systemic injustices against people of color, but to donate all proceeds to local initiatives like Black Lives Matter, families who have lost someone to police brutality and local businesses in Albuquerque that were affected by riots.
“Each portrait should serve as a reminder to initiate change, to hold leaders accountable, to recognize and end the racism that is both overt and subtle, and lastly to see these victims as 100% human,” Romero said.
Wagner and Romero also want people to pay attention to the institutional systems that perpetuate and uphold racial discrimination.
“Until we look at how police enforcement and our justice system have extensive racial bias and discriminate toward Black lives, inequality will continue to be an instigator of both peaceful and violent oppositions,” Wagner said. “We are trying to spotlight the deaths of Black people in the (United States) who have died because of police brutality and silent white vigilantes.”
Wagner and Romero had their first pick up sale Sunday, June 7 at Roosevelt Park during a celebration of Black culture event. For mail orders, they can be reached at juliwags9@gmail.com and savinitanm@gmail.com.
“America's greatest underlying weakness is racism, fear and hatred. Help us make change a reality by forcing systemically racist institutions to see their faces and say their names,” Wagner said.
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Cameron Ward is a freelance reporter at the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @xx_cameo_xx
