One March, Four Works of Art
written by Hope Ezcurra
Glenn Ligon, Condition Report, 2000, Iris print, screen-print, diptych, each: 811 x 576 mm
In 1968 sanitation workers assembled in front of Clayborn Temple on the streets of Memphis, Tennessee, for a solidarity march carrying, now iconic, signs that read “I Am A Man”. The workers were inspired by the prologue to Ralph Ellison’s seminal work “Invisible Man”.
“I am an invisible man. No, I am not a spook like those who haunted Edgar Allan Poe; nor am I one of your Hollywood-movie ectoplasms. I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids -- and I might even be said to possess a mind. I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me. Like the bodiless heads you see sometimes in circus sideshows, it is as though I have been surrounded by mirrors of hard, distorting glass. When they approach me they see only my surroundings, themselves, or figments of their imagination -- indeed, everything and anything except me.”
Ellison, Ralph. Invisible Man. 2nd ed., Vintage Books, 1995.
By omitting the word "invisible”, the Memphis strikers asserted their presence, while still referencing the cultural and legal alienation Ellison expressed in his work. This march would end up becoming an important part of the attack on the legal framework of the Jim Crow Era. The workers were protesting horrible working conditions and racist discrimination by the sanitation department and city. The protest had been sparked by the criminally unsafe conditions that had led to the death of two of their ranks 7. It would become an iconic moment in the civil rights struggle. Research would suggest that its significance in American history is due to four distinct yet interwoven factors. The first being, that although the strike and marching was drawn out, it ended up being successful, becoming an example for all minorities experiencing race related work place discrimination. Secondly, solidifying its place in the history books, it was the last march led by Dr. Martin Luther King before his assassination in April 1968. Some historians even argue that it led to his death 6. Thirdly it is a powerful example of the collective bargaining power of unionizing. And finally, perhaps the reason that the imagery has an almost memetic quality to it, is the slogan’s marriage of simplicity and poignancy. “I Am A Man” expressed so much in so few words. Graphically the stark contrast of the bold black lettering against the bright white background emphasized the slogan and the fact that almost all the 1,300 men were carrying the same sign drove home the significance of it.
While the moment itself was incredibly important historically and politically, the following four works of art, of it and about it, themselves carry substantial cultural weight.
The first two artists to capture this historic moment were a pair of photojournalists. Through their art, they took what is an important march of the civil rights movement and made it iconic. It is interesting to look at how visually and thematically distinct their images of the same event are.
Ernest C. Withers, I Am A Man (from the portfolio I Am A Man), 1968, Gelatin-silver print
Perhaps the most famous image captured that day is by Ernest C. Withers. He is one of the best known African-American photographers of the civil rights movement and the segregated South 10. His most often reproduced image of the day is a testament to his excellent eye for composition. The black and white photograph captured a street flooded by striking workers, most if not all carrying the stark white sign with black typeface declaring “I AM A MAN”. The shot was taken on eye level so the melanin of the strikers faces and dark colors of their clothing create a bold horizontal line that cuts across the image. The row of people accentuates the sea of identical signs held aloft. The color of the sky and the pavement on the film Withers was using is incredibly similar, emphasizing the elegant symmetry of the image. A lone man faces the camera as he crosses in front of his fellow protesters, captured slightly off center of the image. As shown in this image, Withers' use of proportions create elegant visual tension in his artwork.
Richard L. Copley, I am a man, 1968, photographic print
In 1968 Richard L. Copley was just starting out in his photography career 8, and although his most published image of the day does not have the sophisticated composition of Wither’s work, it has its own strengths. It is a much closer shot, allowing the viewer to make out the individual faces of the sanitation workers captured in frame. A resolute steadfastness can be seen in many of the men. While there are fewer signs in the image, they still dominate the upper ⅔ of the photograph. The strength in this work of art comes from the fact that one is able to see the distinct features of every person visible in it, driving home the signs' message. The humanity, which the strike was defending, is physically visible in Copley’s image.
The superficial simplicity of Glenn Ligon’s 1988 Untitled (I Am A Man) conceals a depth of meaning. Glenn Ligon, the important African-American conceptual artist, is well known for his text based work. His artwork often examines race, identity, and the cultural implications of American History. He painted “Untitled (I Am a Man)” very early in his career, and it is a testament to his brilliance as a conceptual artist. The first thing that one notices when looking at the painting side by side with the photographs of the original signs is that the arrangement of the words is different. One may also notice that the spacing is different as well as the size of the letters in proportion to the white space they are in. Unless the viewer has a photographic memory or is a civil rights historian, the differences only appear when looked at side by side. My interpretation of this is that Ligon is making a commentary not only about the racism, past and present, in our country but also our memories of it. “Untitled (I Am a Man)” is fine art proof that we are all unreliable narrators. The subtext that I see develop below the overlapping surface themes of race, identity, and culture is the importance of maintaining an open mind to how other people experience the world around us.
Glenn Ligon, Untitled (I Am a Man), 1988, Oil and Enamel on Canvas, 40 x 25 inches
Hank Willis Thomas’ re-interpretation of the sign creates an important dialogue about African American identity and the historical factors that have shaped it. He presents his conversation as twenty framed paintings each with a slightly different play on the original “I Am a Man” slogan. The first piece references the Three-Fifths Compromise in the constitution. Thomas makes sure that his meditation on identity doesn’t omit the history of slavery. While his 2009 “I Am A Man” work confronts the viewer with the cruel reality of bondage in our country’s past, it also provides hope. The last two frames of the series read like a prayer, closing with the word “Amen”. The work, between, flows like an improvised jazz song. It can be read as poetry, a hymn, or stream of consciousness. I particularly like the one that states “I AM MANY”. I read it as not only are there many black men like the artist but there are also many people that believe and hope that our society can be better. Willis presents the viewer a painful yet yearning reflection on not only his identity but the shared one of all Americans.
In a country that still celebrates Confederate general Robert E. Lee's birthday in multiple States 9 it is important that we consider the lessons being offered by this group of 1960s sanitation workers. We would do well to remember the meaning of their slogan held aloft in gorgeous black and white photographs and reproduced in powerful contemporary art. “I Am a Man” will continue to be an important reminder to have empathy for the history of violence, discrimination, and persecution that minorities have faced in this country and to continue striving for equality.
Hank Willis Thomas, I Am A Man, 2009, Liquitex on Canvas 55 1/2 x 228 x 2 1/4 inches
Citations:
Brown, DeNeen L. “'I Am a Man': The Ugly Memphis Sanitation Workers' Strike That Led to MLK's Assassination.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 12 June 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2018/02/12/i-am-a-man-the-1968-memphis-sanitation-workers-strike-that-led-to-mlks-assassination/.
Carson, Dr. Clayborne. “Memphis Sanitation Workers' Strike.” The Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and Education Institute, Stanford University , 4 June 2018, https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/memphis-sanitation-workers-strike.
Copley, Richard. “The Struggle for Dignity: Martin Luther King Jr.'s Last Battle in Photos.” ABC News, ABC News Network, 4 Apr. 2019, abcnews.go.com/US/struggle-dignity-martin-luther-king-jrs-battle-photos/story?id=54041075.
Eschner, Kat. “Some States Celebrate MLK Day and Robert E. Lee's Birthday on the Same Day.” Smithsonian Magazine, Smithsonian Institution, 16 Jan. 2017, www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news /some-states-celebrate-mlk-day-and-robert-e-lees-birthday-same-day-180961772/.
Speri, Alice. “The Double Life of Civil Rights Photographer and FBI Informant Ernest Withers.” The Intercept, First Look Media, 28 Feb. 2019, https://theintercept.com/2019/02/28/ernest-withers-book-bluff-city/.