Quotes and Black Art

Your Curated Art Museum

“Come for the art, stay for the quotes.”

“No black man in his right mind would choose to be gay.”

— E. Lynn Harris, Invisible Life, 1994

A Snippet:

Did you know that E. Lynn Harris made history while in college, at the University of Arkansas, as its first Black yearbook editor, as well as the university’s first Black male cheerleader?

Learn more . . .

Quotes and Black Art

Thursday, May 28, 2026 (Edition 13)

“Don’t delay! Send yours in right away!”

37. “Wildflower” by Charly Palmer

Fayette, Alabama, (Wisconsin raised) painter Charly Palmer (b. 1960)—known to paint over 50 paintings a year, or roughly one painting a week—on Blackness:

“What I recognize is that I’m Black. I live Black, I acknowledge Black, I celebrate Black, and so my work from the very beginning started as historical documentation, visual documentation of Blackness, and it’s evolved into less of a story of Blackness and more a celebration of it.”

- Charly Palmer

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38. “Mother Earth” (2021) by Nikkolas Smith

Texas born contemporary artist, illustrator, and activist, Nikkolas Smith (b. 1985)—a Master of Architecture recipient from Hampton University, who previously designed theme parks at Walt Disney Imagineering for over 11 years—on sharing your gifts with the world:

“For young artists, I always try to remind them: You have a powerful tool to paint the world you want to see.”

- Nikkolas Smith

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39. “Eve ReImagined” by Levi Robinson

Washington D.C. painter Levi Robinson (b. 1971)—a leading member of the DMV League of Artists collective—on living in the moment:

“Typically, I like to be really deliberate about what I’m doing. It’s important to me to be that way, to be thoughtful about the art, the images that I put out in the world. So, what we've come to learn in working with paints (the nature of the way paint works, you know) is how to respond to the moment. You gotta move when the moment strikes.”

- Levi Robinson

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The Silver Lining?

God is love, in every shade.

Gemini Birthdays!

(May 21st - June 20th)

• May 22 - Naomi Campbell

• May 23 - Maxwell

• May 24 - Patti LaBelle

• May 26 - Lauryn Hill

• May 26 - Pam Grier

• May 26 - Lenny Kravitz

• May 27 - Lisa “Left-Eye” Lopes

• May 27 - André 3000

• May 28 - Gladys Knight (today!)

• May 29 - Carmelo Anthony

• May 29 - Laverne Cox

(Breathe In . . . Breathe Out)

Paint the world you want to see

Quotes and Black Art - A Newsletter

Next issue is next Thursday:

• 11am (Pacific), 2pm (Eastern)

Want more?

• Follow on Instagram or on Threads (at Quotes and Black Art)

Quotes and Black Art.

Made by Jafari.

Silicon Valley’s most creative MBA.

2026 My STEM Grew Petals Publishing. A free-for-all.

Quotes and Black Art is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free subscriber.

Quotes and Black Art

Your Curated Art Museum

“Come for the art, stay for the quotes.”

“We’re taking a stand. The students at West Charleston High School are no longer sitting idly by while our school slides down the academic gutter. You can try to take our band and our library and our drama and our teachers away, but you can’t take our souls. And our souls will never let the powers that be take the arts from us. Our souls are on fire.”

— Kwame Alexander, He Said, She Said, 2013

A Snippet:

Did you know that in May 2021, American author Kwame Alexander contributed a 4.5 star-rated recipe to Bon Appétit magazine, entitled, “Barbara’s Picnic Fried Chicken”—named after his late mother, Barbara.

Learn more (and get the recipe below):

Quotes and Black Art

Thursday, May 21, 2026 (Edition 4)

Summer is around the corner!

10. “Lineage” by Shadra Strickland

Atlanta, Georgia, illustrator Shadra Strickland (b. 1977)—winner of the Ezra Jack Keats Award and the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent—on being a multi-hyphenate (as a creative):

“I think all artists feel they can do anything creative. Romare Bearden once said in an interview about his foray into songwriting, ‘If you don’t think this way, there’s no use being an artist . . . that you can do anything.’ I love that. It’s so true.”

- Shadra Strickland

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11. “Walking” (1958) by Charles H. Alston

Harlem Renaissance artist Charles H. Alston (1907 - 1977)—a noted painter, sculptor, cartoonist, and illustrator—on the Black American experience:

“I don’t believe there’s such a thing as ‘Black art,’ though there’s certainly been a Black experience. I’ve lived it. But it’s also an American experience.”

- Charles H. Alston

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12. “Juice” by Alim Smith

Delaware-born interdisciplinary artist Alim Smith (b. 1990)—who’s artwork has been described by critics as “Afro-surrealist”—on defining “Black” art:

“The idea behind art being or not being Black is not necessarily limited. We just have to do more than the average because critics are going to classify what’s done as Black art anyway—as long as you’re Black while doing it.”

- Alim Smith

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The Silver Lining?

"If the village elder does not teach the child, the village idiots will."

Taurus Birthdays!

(April 20th - May 20th)

• May 17 - Sugar Ray Leonard

• May 17 - Lena Waithe

• May 19 - Grace Jones

• May 19 - Malcom X

• May 20 - Busta Rhymes

(Breathe In . . . Breathe Out)

Absence does not raise a child

Quotes and Black Art - A Newsletter

Next issue is next Thursday:

• 11am (Pacific), 2pm (Eastern)

Want more?

• Follow on Instagram or on Threads (at Quotes and Black Art)

Quotes and Black Art.

Made by Jafari.

Silicon Valley’s most creative MBA.

2026 My STEM Grew Petals Publishing. A free-for-all.

Quotes and Black Art is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free subscriber.

Quotes and Black Art

Your Curated Art Museum

“Come for the art, stay for the quotes.”

“They felt that it was much easier and safer to rob their own people, for they knew that white policemen never really searched diligently for Negroes who committed crimes against other Negroes.”

— Richard Wright, Native Son, 1940

A Snippet:

Did you know that given an unfortunate blend of race and membership within the communist party (between 1932-1942), the FBI monitored and investigated Richard Wright, keeping over 169 pages of surveillance files on the famous author (and other notable Black artists) in an attempt to divide-and-conquer?

Learn more . . .

Quotes and Black Art

Thursday, May 14, 2026 (Edition 51)

151. “Love & Flowers & Black Beauty” by Lilada Gee

Abused at a young age, Lilada Gee (b. 1965), via her own healing journey, developed an unyielding passion to help Black girl victims of sexual abuse reclaim their spirits, minds, and bodies and ultimately heal from its devastating effects, on the importance of rebuilding Black families:

“I’m real committed to gathering us back together. When they took us out of Africa, they took us everywhere. And unfortunately (along the diaspora) some of us have forgotten that we are family. I just have this heart to bring us back together.”

- Lilada Gee

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152. “Sparrow” (2011) by Whitfield Lovell

Bronx, New York, contemporary artist Whitfield Lovell (b. 1959)—known for using old photographs for inspiration and as source material for his works—on the often circular nature of life’s journey:

“What’s interesting is that a lot of times you go through a journey, then end up back where you started.”

- Whitfield Lovell

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153. “Glad You Dead You Rascal You” (c. 1990) by Herbert Singleton

New Orleans artist Herbert Singleton (1945 - 2007)—who was born in the district of Algiers, and started making carvings in the 1970s on discarded doors, cabinets, and driftwood found on the banks of the Mississippi River—on finding treasure in unusual places:

“When the river was low, I would find a plank of wood to carve. I would look at it and wonder if someone’s life had fell apart.”

- Herbert Singleton

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The Silver Lining?

Is any among you sick? Let them call upon the elders (for healing)

Taurean Birthdays!

(April 20th - May 20th)

• May 10 - Henry Walton Bibb (famous abolitionist)

• May 11 - Louis Farrakhan

• May 12 - Kim Fields

• May 13 - Stevie Wonder

• May 14 - Mark Zuckerberg / George Lucas (today)!

• May 16 - Janet Jackson

• May 16 - Ralph Tresvant

(Breathe In . . . Breathe Out)

Such wild, audacious healers

Quotes and Black Art - A Newsletter

Next issue is next Thursday:

• 11am (Pacific), 2pm (Eastern)

Want more?

• Follow on Instagram or on Threads (at Quotes and Black Art)

Quotes and Black Art.

Made by Jafari.

Silicon Valley’s most creative MBA.

2026 My STEM Grew Petals Publishing. A free-for-all.

Quotes and Black Art is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free subscriber.

Quotes and Black Art

Your Curated Art Museum

“Come for the art, stay for the quotes.”

“What’s the point of having a voice if you’re gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn’t be?”

— Angie Thomas, The Hate U Give, 2017

A Snippet:

Did you know that (given its “controversial” subject matter) The Hate U Give has consistently made the top-list of most banned books since it’s original publishing (in 2017)?

Learn more . . .

Quotes and Black Art

Thursday, May 7, 2026 (Edition 7)

19. (Untitled) by Kalin Renée Devone

Charlotte, North Carolina, muralist Kalin Renée Devone (b. 1994)—a UNC Charlotte alum—on the importance of building community:

“Take advantage of the community and connections that are at your disposal. The critiques with your peers and professors are invaluable. Once you graduate, unless you continue to higher education, or enter the work of residencies, you will find that the feedback and encouragement you once received may not always be consistently available at the level you need it. Creating and nourishing connections made amongst other artists is very important.”

- Kalin Renée Devone

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20. “Rosa Parks Mugshot” by Monica Ahanonu

Los Angeles-based illustrator, model, and creative Monica Ahanonu (b. 1991)—who was also a competitive gymnast throughout her childhood and is now world renowned for her work in color theory—on the importance of finding inner beauty:

“Just because you’re different from the people around you doesn’t mean you’re not beautiful.”

- Monica Ahanonu

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21. “Stoic” by Stacie Monday

Tulsa, Oklahoma, artist Stacie Monday—who’s primary medium is acrylics—on representation and creating with purpose:

“I create the art that I wanted to see when I was growing up.”

- Stacie Monday

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The Silver Lining?

"The trouble with love is that you can't buy it. The only way to get love is to be lovable. The more you give away love away, the more you get."

- Warren Buffett (95 years young, considered the most successful US investor of all time)

Taurean Birthdays!

(April 20th - May 20th)

• May 3 - James Brown

• May 4 - Kimora Lee

• May 4 - Dawn Staley

• May 5 - Chris Brown / Hi-Tek

• May 7 - Sydney Leroux (today)!

• May 8 - Louise Meriwether

• May 9 - Ghostface Killah

(Breathe In . . . Breathe Out)

My art includes my struggle

Quotes and Black Art - A Newsletter

Next issue is next Thursday:

• 11am (Pacific), 2pm (Eastern)

Want more?

• Follow on Instagram or on Threads (at Quotes and Black Art)

Quotes and Black Art.

Made by Jafari.

Silicon Valley’s most creative MBA.

2026 My STEM Grew Petals Publishing. A free-for-all.

Quotes and Black Art is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free subscriber.

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I’m celebrating my birthday week, so I’m taking a break from posting this week.

But don’t fret!

We’ll be back to our regular schedule next Thursday (Feb. 19, 2026)!

Do me a favor — reply to this message, and tell me the best gift that you’ve ever received during your birthday!

Mine was a giant M&M cookie my Mom got for me in preschool! I believe …

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