Back in the 60s, my dad, who was White, did a painting called “The Crucifixion of Malcolm X” - a painting that commented on the assassination of the great human rights leader, and the powerful people of the day who were complicit in it.

I guess he shouldn’t have painted that?

By that same narrow nationalist “logic”,…

Thank you. This is the best response on here. I particularly I appreciate your point that, as the son of a sharecropper, you likely have more insight into the character of Tom Joad than most white people or most people of any race. As a white person who truly believes in equality and that race can be an aspect of a…

Your sense of entitlement is appalling, if you think that only you should be allowed to paint certain pictures or write certain songs, due to the color your skin. That is the definition of entitlement. Do you not see the hypocrisy?

Emmett Till’s mother wanted the world to know about her son’s brutal death. This painting helps with that goal, which is more than you have likely done. Would you be critical of this painting if you thought it was painted by a black person? If not, then you are the racist.

That whole argument relies completely on assumptions of another persons perspective, which is the most absurd thing to base an argument on. “they don’t BELIEVE she has any perspective”. Has anyone asked her what she believes? Certainly not the author of this article...

I don’t think anyone contends that she doesn’t have the right to paint whatever she wants.

I think it’s a bit unfair to call the painting “the same Caucasian strain of white-savior narcissism.” I understand the sentiment that the death of Emmett Till shouldn’t be used as a masturbatory expression of how “woke” someone is, but I would argue that should be the rule for anyone, regardless of their race. And…

Because I don’t understand how it minimizes the horror. We are getting into some pretty esoteric artist vs. audience philosophy, but here it goes.

Do you honestly think that’d help? Why does it even need an explanation? Should white people just recognize racism exists but never talk or express anything about it, you know just leave it in the past and move on? How is that better than this painting? Honestly though, if I was the artist I’d just keep my mouth shut…

The sad irony is that white people are constantly called out for failing to give a shit about or call attention to the suffering of minorities in this country. You can’t have it both ways. This sort of contrived controversy is the sort of thing that makes me truly wonder if some people are just addicted to drama and…

There are alot of buzzwords here amounting to basically nothing. Why in the world are we going so far backwards as to think telling people they can’t tell a story they haven’t experienced themselves is progress? Are white authors not allowed to write books with black protagonists, or non fiction centered around a…

I am curious how many readers here have stepped into the museum and laid eyes on this piece. Until reading this article, I had no idea what the racial identity of this artist was. I saw the piece this weekend, and it was one of my favorites. Incredibly powerful, tastefully articulated, three-dimensional, visceral…

You really want a white person to make a painting showing a black person being dragged behind a pick up truck. Seriously? You really didn’t think that one through before you posted it. If you are saying a white person can’t feel a black persons pain or truly empathize with their suffering, than fine. But what you…

This is a complicated issue. I see noone talking about the content of the painting, only the fact that it exists and that the artist is white. And a lot of talk that if you’re not black you have no right to discuss or comment on the black experience. Hannah Black goes so far as to say “white free speech and white…

Mr. Harriot,

I can’t agree with any call for this piece of art to be destroyed, even if it might be offensive to some, and I’m surprised an artist would take that stance. Would Hannah Black destroy her own artwork if enough people signed onto a letter calling for its destruction? That demand is ridiculous and undermines the whole…

As someone who has for decades confronted other white people regarding racism and the like I object to the term “whitepeopling”. We cannot get people to stop stereotyping while embracing stereotyping. Not persuasive!

The death of Emmett Till is a national tragedy, national disgrace. If an artist of any color feels the horror of that disgrace, feel the shittiness of whole shitty story and wants to remind the national ethos of what happened and how far we have yet to go, then I applaud them and their effort... especially if the…

I appreciate the time, emotional weight, and artistry that went into this revealing painting. Emmett Till’s mother wanted the world to see why those savages did to her son. My personal thank you to the artist for continuing his mother’s wishes.

Disagree on this one. The stance that she’s not allowed to produce works of art and should only stick to doing white people art, or whatever, is limiting and foments a sort of separation, not a bringing together. I can’t abide that.