This beautiful woman is Rekia Boyd, only 22 years old and walking down the street with her friends when an off-duty cop drove up, argued with them about the noise they were making, and shot her in the head. In a remarkable miscarriage of justice, the cop was cleared of all charges because the judge decided it wasn't 'involuntary manslaughter' but exactly what it was: straight-up murder-- and unfortunately he hadn't been formally charged with that.
That guy is still walking around, but on March 21, 2012 Rekia's vibrant life ended. Her brother has said that she had a knack for making friends anywhere, that she was a good cook, and loved the color yellow. She's been described as the girl who 'woke the world up' and could 'light up a room.' And she should never be forgotten.
This portrait took me a long time, to capture the beauty of the original photograph. I also have no practice in painting leaves.
(digital painting)
