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Recent Blog Posts

Black Is Beautiful 2021 - Denise Oliver-Velez
Children's Portrait 62 - Emme
Children's Portrait 61 - P
Video-Stories In Place
Black Is Beautiful 2021 - Transgender Cultural Center
Black Is Beautiful 2021 - Wilhelmina Godfrey
Panel discussion-Tandem

@robert_tres

Black is Beautiful 2021 - Denise Oliver Velez The

Black is Beautiful 2021 - Denise Oliver Velez

There is a ton of research out there about her so I'll keep this brief. Denise is a Black woman who was one of the most prominent members of the Young Lords Party and the Black Panther Party in NY. Her activism did not start there though. She grew up in a radical family and has been immersed in political work her whole life. This includes her time as a student at Hunter College, Howard University, and Old Westbury. It involves work in civil rights, the HIV/Aids epidemic, teaching, and her time in the Party. She also fought to cut the macho bullshit and sexism that women experience within movements by advocating for the Lords to have equality in rank and in writing for the Palante newspaper. She very humbly stated that she and her comrades came up with their idelogy and plans from seeking out information from hella different sources, synthesizing what was relevant, and then making it work as they grew. I invite you to look up her interviews, follow her on twitter. Yes, she's still alive (72 yrs young) and still working; teaching the next generation in colleges. In addition to her work with Iris Morales to build equality for women, I was struck by her talking about confronting racism not only against Puerto Ricans but self-hatred and racism within Boricuas. It was also inspiring to hear about the solidarity between different groups and coming together for common cases.

This piece is to honor Ms Denise Oliver-Velez and the work she has done for the people. One of the things I dug the most when researching is her refreshing willingness to say to younger activists "look at our mistakes" as much as you do the victories. I dig that she's not about celebrity activism, inserting an almighty political ideology on the people, or overly academic or political language either. Salute Ms Oliver-Velez! I'd seen her in pictures many times but didn't delve into her background until I heard Ericka Huggins mention her on Hard Knock Radio!!!

Sources: Black Women Radicals, Tell a Friend w/ Bryan Knight #blackisbeautiful2021 #blackhistorymonth #artofrobertliutrujillo #deniseolivervelez

Black is Beautiful 2021 - Transgender Cultural Dis

Black is Beautiful 2021 - Transgender Cultural District

I'm listening to Alicia Garza's podcast @ladydonttakenopod when she mentioned the Compton Cultural District. Then I found about these three ladies. Janetta Johnson (54)- who is the executive director of an organization called TGIJP or the "Transgender Gender Variant Intersex Justice Project". Honey Mahogany (35)-An artist, activist, social worker, and candidate for office in SF. And Aria Sa'id (29)-Former program director at St James Infirmary, current founder of Kween Culture, and the executive director of the Transgender Cultural District.

Each of these women have worked in some capacity as advocates for the Trans community. They came together to help found the Transgender Cultural District which is now the worlds first cultural district in a city that honors transgender people. Its 6 city blocks of the Tenderloin neighborhood located in San Francisco California. And it is one of the places trans people come to when they first enter the city.

The story is, a developer wanted to build a new condo, the community pushed back because it was not lifting up the people who live there currently and it did not preserve the local history such as the Compton Cafeteria riot of 1966 which is one of the first documented times the queer community fought back against police harassment (Stonewall 1969). A coalition of activists fought to preserve the history and got Jane Kim (Dist 6 supervisor) to make it happen at the city level. This cultural district has plans to help Trans folks with tenant rights, jobs, space for arts & culture, historical preservation, and cultural competency.

Sources: TransgenderDistrictSF.com, Forbes, Out Magazine, NPR

#honeymahogany #ariasaid #janettajohnson #transgenderculturaldistrict #blackisbeautiful2021 #blackhistorymonth #artofrobertliutrujillo #blacktranswomen #lgbtqia

Black is Beautiful 2021 - Wilhelmina Godfrey Wil

Black is Beautiful 2021 - Wilhelmina Godfrey

Wilhelmina Godfrey was born in 1914 in Philadelphia and moved to Buffalo NY. A life long artist she was always making art. She attended Albright Art School , the art institute of Buffalo, and the Rochester Institute of Technology. Wilhelmina was a sculptor, weaver, printmaker, and a painter. I chose the images behind her in this portrait because of her more abstract painting style. Shout out to Florida A&M who posted about her. Besides being an artist she also advocated for the arts by teaching, organizing a weaving program, and co-founding the Langston Hughes Center with Jim Pappas, Clarence Scott, and Allie Anderson (a space for youth arts). In her lifetime she exhibited her art, sold paintings, and was awarded a fellowship with the National Endowment for the Arts. She passed away in 94, but I hope to find more information about her and that people become aware of her work.

Sources: FAMU 79' Impact Afro American Women Artists, Buffalo News, Uncrowned Community Builders

#wilhelminagodfrey #blackartist #blackisbeautiful2021 #blackhistorymonth #artofrobertliutrujillo #blackisbeautiful

Black is Beautiful 2021-Leola King Born in 1919

Black is Beautiful 2021-Leola King

Born in 1919 on a Oklahoma, Leola grew up in LA immersed in the entertainment biz (theater, film, and partying). In 46’ (WW2) moved to the Bay to help her father run a bbq biz in Oakland. She started her own bbq business in SF and was successful w/Black and white folks. However in 1949 the US created a federal policy (Urban renewal) through this they seized Leola's business; "Oklahoma King" at 1601 Geary street (Japantown). She regrouped and started a new biz which she named "The Blue Mirror" in 1953 at 935 Fillmore (Near African American Arts & Culture Complex). It became a destination for the Fillmore district to a huge portion of SF's Black population/historic home for music. Red carpet, elegant furniture, murals, and a stage where many of the best in Jazz and Blues performed and came to hang out. The venue held 300 and was packed every night. Leola also had a beautiful mansion 711 Scott st across from “The Painted Ladies". Again the redevelopment agency came for her spot and many others. Again she rebuilt w/The Birdcage" in 1964. Leola hosted people like Lena Horne, Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Josephine Baker, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Sam Cooke, The Mills Bros, Dexter Gordon, even Willie Mays and Joe Louis. She was a biz savvy woman who was called the Queen of Fillmore.

Leola fought tooth and nail with the city of SF who robbed her of several properties, her home, and so much life until she died. The agency would take her property in a pattern that robbed Black entrepreneurs/home owners in the Fillmore district. This pattern is noticeable across cities where Black migrated to from the southern US. Somehow in the city of sin which she said was run by gangsters she managed to build monuments that cared for and welcome all people, especially Black people. #blackisbeautiful2021 #artofrobertliutrujillo #leolaking
Sources: SF Public library, KQED Rebel Girls, Harlem of the West (book), SF Bayview newspaper

Black Is Beautiful 2021 - Cathy Hughes Was born i

Black Is Beautiful 2021 - Cathy Hughes
Was born in 1947 in Omaha Nebraska and knew from an early age knew what she wanted to be in radio.Cathy came from a family of entrepreneurs. Her mom was a professional trombonist, dad was an accountant, and her grandfather founded a school for Black children. She became a teen single mother and began working for the Omaha Star owned by Mildred Brown. She went on to work for Omaha's station Kowh before she met Tom Brown, a broadcaster who recognized her talent and asked her to come work for him as he established Howard's (HBCU) first school of communications. There she helped build the station as a sales manager and eventually as general manager. Then the Washington Broadcasters brought her on to restructure and rebrand a failing station. When they wouldn't make her an equal par owner she started her own station and purchased 1450 WOL in 1980. She was turned down by over 30 banks and lending institutions when she wanted to buy it. And when she finally got it she had to live there with her son. She made it work. 24/7 she was on the air. She developed the quiet storm which did well, then expanded to news coverage from a Black perspective.

At the height of her company she owned over 70 radio stations. She founded a TV company (TV One) in 1988. Her son took over of the umbrella company "Urban One" as CEO in 1997, the largest Black owned company of radio in the country. And he took the company public making her the first Black woman to own a publicly traded company in history. She is a powerhouse of business and media achievement touching Black families all over the country. In this illustration I imagined she must have mentored some younger folks along the way and she is literally passing the mic to them. #blackisbeautiful2021 #cathyhughes #artofrobertliutrujillo

🧡🧡💛💚💚

Black is Beautiful 2021 - Little Richard There h

Black is Beautiful 2021 - Little Richard

There have been so many articles written about this brother recently that I'm not sure I can add much historical value. So I'll start with the first time I saw him. It was in a film called "Down and Out in Beverly Hills" which I watched with my Grandmother Doris. In the film he yelled at the police and his white neighbor about unequal treatment and in real life Black artists deserve more.

Little did I know this man had been making music since my Grandparents were teens being that they were born around the same time. Born in 1932 in Macon Georgia, Richard was one of twelve children. He learned to play in the church like so many Black musicians. The hollering Pentecostal church believed in worship through music and speaking in tongues. He began making hits in the mid 50s before anyone was making Rock.

He is the king of "Rock N Roll". In his career he released over 24 albums, acted in over 30 films and TV shows, and he's featured in over 200 TV and films soundtracks. He has been inducted into the Blues, Rock n Roll, Apollo, and the Naacp hall of fame. He toured the US through the chitlin circuit and across Europe. He aided, helped, and birthed artists like James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Billy Preston, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Elvis, Pat Boone, Jerry Lee Lewis, and more. His style pioneered a whole new genre of music which young people are STILL enamored with today. His style was unapologetically fly, queer, and gender blending.

If we love Black artists like Janelle, Thug, Andre, and Frank for doing their thing and living their true selves, we have to look back and view the life and career of Little Richard. Blues, Rock, Gospel, and I am grateful for him.

Sources: Wikipedia, Arsenio Hall, American Bandstand, The Guardian, Imdb
#littlerichard #rocknroll #blackisbeautiful #blackhistorymonth #blackisbeautiful2021 #artofrobertliutrujillo #lgbtq

Old photo @hipsterkiller made this beautiful swea

Old photo

@hipsterkiller made this beautiful sweatshirt (Hi Franklin!) This was before bebe girl was born, after getting married. And after the Furqan trailer dropped. 📸 @thejoyliu

Black is Beautiful 2021-Willy T Ribbs 1991 Willy

Black is Beautiful 2021-Willy T Ribbs

1991 Willy T Ribbs became the first Black man to qualify for one of the fastest, most prestigious, and dangerous races in the world. The Indy 500, established in 1911. Willy started his path to being a professional race car driver at an early age and is the son of a racer from San Jose California. Influenced by driver Dan Gurney and athlete Muhammad Ali he was confident, skilled, and would not bow to anyone. Not only could he drive fast but when thrown challenges of switching racing and car styles he adapted quickly. He would race in Trans Am (140 mph), Nascar (160 mph) and Formula 4 (165 mph). But his dream was to race in a Formula 1 car (230 mph).

I watched his story in the documentary "Uppity" and it is amazing to see what determination and skill he had when being faced with unsurmountable odds. The majority of the big races such as Daytona and Taladega were seeped in a deeply racist South. People spat near him, wrote racial slurs in the stalls, and called in death threats towards him. But the racism went beyond ignorance and stupidity. It was and is structural. They kept him from getting the proper equipment, denied sponsorship, and sabotaged his efforts. Why? Because he was fast and he beat them in a fair race. He was called "uppity" because he questioned all of this and demanded to be treated with respect.

A few prominent people saw his talent and stepped in to help him break down walls such as Jim Trueman (racer), Paul Newman (actor), and Bill Cosby (actor) before the charges. What Willy achieved is inspiring. Joey Ray helped pave the way for Black folks in racing, and Willy paved the way for cats like Lewis Hamilton today. Please give him his flowers as he's still around and pushing for the sport of racing to be more diverse!

Sources: Uppity-Documentary film, CNN, Beyond The Grid Podcast
#blackhistorymonth #blackisbeautiful #blackisbeautiful2021 #artchallenge #artofrobertliutrujillo #racing #willytribbs #blackracer

Black is Beautiful 2021- Phase2 Rest in peace to

Black is Beautiful 2021- Phase2

Rest in peace to the legend. Lenny Wood aka Phase2 was born in 1958 and grew up in the Bronx, NY. He started drawing as a kid and would enter the world of Writing or "Graffiti" as some know in 1971 around the birth of hip hop culture. Writing has so many pioneers but Phase is known for developing the "bubble letters" style so many have grown to love. Starting first on paper, then walls, then trains Phase2's also developed and was one of the great pioneers of "wild style" lettering. His work has influenced writers in the millions all over the country and across the world. For that alone he is a King. But there's more.

Phase is one of the graphic artists alongside artists such as Buddy Esquire and Eddie Ed to literally design hip hop's early flyer style and aesthetic. His designs using starts, symmetry, and geometrical shapes are still being used today. He created one of the first Graffiti zines called International Graffiti Times in the late 80s. He had a major role as did so many writers in the early design of hip hop logos and albums as well as flyers. Add to that , he went beyond visuals and rhymed, danced, and DJed under many names. Check out his record "The Roxy". Shout out to his crews UGA-"United Graffiti Artists" and "Electrified Movement".

I first came across his work in the film Beat Street and so many graff magazines and books. Automatically you could see his thinking was light years beyond most. And his name Phase2 alluded to "the next step" or constant growth. He's said to be influenced by Romare Bearden, Jack Kirby, and countless writers such as LEE 163. Do yourself a favor and check out AIGA's "Eyes on Design" interview with him by Jerome Harris, the book "Yes Yes Y'all", and i'm sure i'm missing some info. Please feel free to comment with further research for budding artists to follow. Writing or Graffiti Art was pioneered by Black and Brown artists from Philly and NYC.

Sources: Throw it Up, Video Graf, The Source, Museum of Graffiti.com, AIGA #blackisbeautiful #blackhistorymonth #phase2 #blackartists #artofrobertliutrujillo

Character 159-Word?! When somebody gives you the

Character 159-Word?!

When somebody gives you the scoop on some song, deal, restaurant, or clothing store. This is the response. Bout to go check it out now.

#cycle #bicycle #characterdesign #artofrobertliutrujillo

Character 158 - Motorcycle Hattie "Moves w/the W

Character 158 - Motorcycle

Hattie "Moves w/the Wind" delighted in beating riders who underestimated her.

#motorcycle #characterdesign #coloredpencildrawing #artofrobertliutrujillo #motocicleta

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