Read until you understand
Quotes and Black Art | Thursdaysº
Quotes and Black Art
Your Curated Art Museum
“Come for the art, stay for the quotes.”
“See that you don’t forget it . . . Times ain’t always gonna be like this, and when the breaks come you gotta be prepared to take them.” — Louise Meriwether, Daddy Was A Number Runner, 1970
A Snippet:
Did you know that Louise Meriwether (1923 - 2023) lived to be a centenarian and that her 1970 debut novel, Daddy Was A Number Runner, contains a praise-worthy foreword by author James Baldwin?
Learn more . . .
Quotes and Black Art
Thursday, July 2, 2026 (week 27)
Enjoy your 4th, your cookout, and stay safe and healthy!
121. “Outside Looking In, Mobile Alabama” (1956) by Gordon Parks
Fort Scott, Kansas, photographer Gordon Parks (1912 - 2006)—known as one of the greatest photographers of the twentieth century, as well as a humanitarian with a deep commitment to social justice—on finding your purpose:
“I saw that the camera could be a weapon against poverty, against racism, against all sorts of social wrongs. I knew at that point I had to have a camera.”
- Gordon Parks
122. “The Sun Seeker” (2022) by Siphesihle Ntsungwana
South African, Durban-based artist Siphesihle Ntsungwana (b. 1998)—known for offering a fresh perspective on popular culture as it relates to South African youth—also on finding purpose:
“I think the best way to find your purpose is by getting closer to God and understanding yourself, understanding your gifts, your talents. Whatever God has given you, you need to look at it as a superpower.”
- Siphesihle Ntsungwana
123. “The Collector” (2013) by Edwin Lester
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, artist Edwin Lester—a self-taught artist who brings sophistication, technical skill, and a sense of realism to his figurative paintings—on how our relationship to work transforms when we discover our purpose:
“I just love what I do, and when I walk out into the world each day, there is so much to see, so much to paint.”
- Edwin Lester
The Silver Lining?
Did you know that Farah Jasmine Griffin took to heart the phrase ‘read until you understand,’ a line her father, who died when she was nine, wrote in a note to her, leaving her a stack of books filled with Black stories? In fact, Dr. Griffin made it central to her own book, Read Until You Understand: The Profound Wisdom of Black Life and Literature, about “love of the majestic power of words and love of the magnificence of Black life."
Cancer Birthdays!
(June 21 - July 22)
June 29 - Kwame Ture
June 29 - Charly Palmer
June 30 - Mike Tyson
June 30 - Fantasia
July 1 - Missy Elliott
July 2 - Patrice Lumumba (today!)
July 3 - Franz Kafka
July 4 - Malia Obama
July 4 - Bill Withers
(Breathe In . . . Breathe Out)
Read until you understand
Quotes and Black Art - A Newsletter
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