“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
– The Declaration of Independence
Three fifths of a person
When seeing this man in the ring, he appears to be about three fifths of a person, positioned on a low stool. Low stools like this are typical in boxing rings, but I wonder if here if there’s an additional meaning, symbolizing Black people’s “lower” and disadvantaged class in America.
Article one, section two of the Constitution of the United States deemed enslaved people as three fifths of a person. From 1619-1865, most Black people in or forcefully brought to the country were enslaved. It was a way to justify unpaid and inhumane labor and dehumanize worthy beings.
What if Sherald illustrated him this way to convey how Black men, and the Black American population, are still treated at large in the country as less than a whole human in many ways? We face various obstacles, laws, policies, and infrastructures that unjustly handicap, stunt, or harm Black people’s [upward] mobility. Their ability to not just survive, but thrive here.
The subject is wearing boxing gloves, but has no lower half, no legs or feet, to mobilize himself. He’s perched on a stool in a boxing ring, ready to fight without the typical means to move about.
Or because his hands aren’t in a fighting position, is he growing tired of fighting? Or is he simply taking a break in his corner before going back out in the ring to fight another round, disadvantaged?
Or is this saying that Black Americans don’t often have a fair fighting chance in this country?
I still have so many questions and possible meanings.
As American as American pie
The colors in the ring and on his attire symbolize the colors of the American flag.
- Red for the blood shed for the nation’s freedom [in the American Revolution]
- White for the nation’s noble ideals and peace
- Blue for justice and upholding its values [including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness].
Black Americans shed blood literally and figuratively, manually building the country’s infrastructure and economy from the ground up with our hands and bodies. With our souls and will. We fought in battles to gain the nation’s independence. We thought contributing to the nation’s fight for independence would grant us ours. It didn’t.
We fought in the Civil War on both sides. We thought it would grant us respect and equality. It didn’t. Though we were granted freedom from human trafficking, forced labor, and servitude, some would argue that our minds never fully broke free from the clutches of such heinous experiences. Our minds not as free as they could or deserve to be.
We fought and gave our lives in the World Wars. We thought for sure then, it would grant us respect and equality. It didn’t.
We led the Civil Rights Movement that fought for the rights and fairness that benefited not just Black folks, but women, children, the disabled, and more.
We’ve contributed so much to the rich history, culture, and advancement of America.
Fight until the end
No matter how much Black people have been stifled, disrespected, harmed, beaten, killed, and immobilized throughout history and the present, we’re still here. We’re deeply embedded in the fibers of the United States of America, her history, and her future.
We cannot be erased. Our strength and resilience beckons us to continue to fight for what is right and just. Our contributions leave an energetic imprint and legacy that outlives us. We will never stop fighting for justice, peace, and harmony for ALL, legless, or not.
I think this painting captures the complexity of the spirit- the “grit” of Black American people. That no matter what the circumstances are, we will continue to be in America’s corner. Fighting for what’s right and just no matter what obstacles or disadvantages that attempt hurling right hooks and upper cuts towards us. You can try to immobilize us but we aren’t going anywhere. We will keep showing up where we are, with what we have, and what we know.
You can’t beat a person who never gives up.
And when it’s for the rights, dignity, and liberation for ourselves and everyone, why would we?
What do you see when you look at this piece?
Milan Noelle 
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