"Speaking Portraits": A Conversation With Stolen Lives and Families.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015, 6:30pm – 8:30pm
At EFA Project Space, 323 W. 39th St, 2nd Floor, New York, NY
“The anger and sadness I feel as I paint these young faces cannot be measured against the grief and strength of the families who speak out against the violence wrought upon their own, as though they were animals hunted down by predators.” —Fay Chiang
Cases of police brutality are increasing at an alarming rate throughout the country. But do we really hear the stories of many of the victims and the loved ones affected by this enforcement? For the past ten years, SHIFT resident, Project Reach Director of Programs and Development, and Stolen Lives Project member, Fay Chiang, has been painting portraits to honor victims killed by law enforcement. With the help of Chiang, EFA Project Space welcomes Kathie Cheng—coordinator of the Stolen Lives Project— Iris Baez, Hawa Bah, Nicholas Heyward Sr., Andree Smith, and Juanita Young—whose sons were killed by police—to share the Stolen Lives Project and their stories.
Representatives from other organizations like Cop Watch, People's Justice, and Center for Constitutional Rights will be present to speak to guests about their causes and the opportunities for volunteer work with these issues.The mission of the Stolen Lives Project is to assemble a national list of people killed by law enforcement agents from 1990 to the present. Through grassroots efforts, over 2000 cases were documented in the second edition of the Stolen Lives book, which was published in 1999. Although just the tip of the iceberg, these 2000+ are evidence of a horrifying national epidemic of police brutality. The victims of police violence were part of our society, but rarely are their lives or names publicized, or the real circumstances surrounding their deaths investigated and made known. The Stolen Lives Project aims to restore some dignity to the lives lost. Though their lives have been stolen from us, we will not allow them to be forgotten. stolenlives.org
This event is respectfully organized in conjunction with the exhibition Double Visions on view February 26 - March 28, 2015. For more information, please email [email protected].
