Chapter: AIGA PhiladelphiaArtist Statement: This poster pays homage to the extraordinary address given sixty-five years ago by Dr. Martin Luther King to a large crowd of civil rights leaders and activists outside the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. Though King’s speech broadly addresses racial discrimination with respect to voting rights, (The Voting Rights Act would not be passed for another eight years) he also addresses the sluggish implementation of the Supreme Court’s Brown vs. The Board of Education decision — which had been settled three years earlier to the date. King’s speech invokes themes of social oppression, legislative duplicity, and civic courage, before offering a clarion call for reason, equity and love. I chose to honor this speech on account of both King’s transcendent challenge to confront structural oppression with rationalism and empathy, as oppose to emotion and vitriol. As King states, “We must realize that we are grappling with the most weighty social problem of this nation, and in grappling with such a complex problem there is no place for misguided emotionalism.” Superficially, this sentiment bears repeating on account of the contemporary socio-political parallels we face as an electorate today, but also as a reminder of the awesome privilege of suffrage, as well as a testament to the power of reason as a means of guiding us ever closer toward the light.
GOTV posters and social squares created by AIGA members are available for printing and public distribution by all. By downloading this poster and/or social square, you agree to use it in its entirety (including the branded banner), unaltered and not for commercial purposes of any kind; any reproduction of it must include full credit to the designer and AIGA Get Out the Vote. Any variation from this policy must be documented in writing from the designer and AIGA. When sharing on social media, please tag the designer and @AIGADesign with the hashtags #AIGAVote and #GetOutTheVote.This work is part of the AIGA Get Out the Vote, AIGA’s Civic Engagement Initiative.
