Artist Serge Gay Jr. spoke about his new mural "Never Alone" on the wall of Maitri Compassionate Care hospice at 401 Duboce Avenue in San Francisco's Duboce Triangle neighborhood during its formal unveiling April 18.
In May, the 8 minute and 46 second snuffing out of George Floyd by Minnesota cops prompted backlash not just against police brutality, but also the deeply ingrained social constructs that have allowed systemic racism to prevail for centuries. The event forced a reckoning for institutions of all kinds, from state and local governments to corporations and even consumer brands. Feelings of desperation proved strong enough to pull tens of thousands of people fearful of pandemic infection from their homes and onto the streets. Protesters wore black as an homage to the Black Lives Matter movement. And many of them, perhaps subconsciously, made the decision to pull on a pair of jeans.