Although the Black Lives Matter movement has been in existence since 2013, it was the murder of George Floyd in 2020 that served as a tipping point of sorts and the justified outrage at ongoing injustices and violence perpetrated against African Americans that ensued reverberated worldwide. The iconic passage in Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice” “If you prick us do we not bleed?” is open to interpretation and there is a risk of it being taken out of context. It is nonetheless a clarion appeal to our common humanity. We are all, regardless of race, ethnicity, religious background, subject to the same gamut of human emotions — love, pain, and joy, among others.

We all bleed but for some the scales of justice do not tip in their favour — in fact the existence of systemic racism, particularly in the United States, is killing thousands and stunting the potential of millions. This has been the status quo for far too long and it must end. Justice must prevail. The poster is a graphic depiction of this concept.

The poster was a personal response to the urgent demands of the Black Lives Matter movement and served its purpose in stimulating dialogue on the baneful evil that is racism.