On January 26 at the Ashé Powerhouse, 150 people attended a public conversation with revolutionary artist and former Minister of Culture for the Black Panther Party, Emory Douglas. Hosted by the New Orleans Peoples Assembly and Take Em Down Nola, artists discussed with Emory the responsibility of progressive artists to serve the people by involving themselves with political organizations that are dedicated to the revolutionary struggle for liberation.
Emory shared: “I was able to share my creativity as part of an organization that gave me the chance to make art that reflected the politics we were involved in.”
“If you’re concerned about police murders, high rates of unemployment, or wars of mass destruction and you’re committed to enlightening and informing people about those issues in a provocative way, you can’t fear what your boss or even your family is going to say. You gotta do something if you don’t do nothing but spit. ”