BLACK ART HISTORY: Emory Douglas

Emory Douglas is someone I return to a lot when I think about the purpose of my art—why I want to make bold, graphic work that feels loud even when it’s about pain, identity, or mental health. His posters for the Black Panther Party were made to reach people directly, using bold lines, flat colors, and comic-book energy to talk about things like poverty, survival, and police violence. Even though his style was super accessible, it never felt watered down. That balance of visual clarity and political urgency is something I study often.

His influence shows up in how I try to use cartoonish imagery, pop language, and bright color palettes to talk about deeply uncomfortable things—grief, anxiety, limerence, healing. Like Douglas, I want the art to communicate immediately but then stick with you, ask more of you. He made art that functioned as protest, education, and connection—and that blend of beauty and message is exactly what I aim to do, just through a more personal, introspective lens.