I am more than my skin colour: An anti-racist campaign

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Using theories on visual culture, South Africa, globalisation, and resistance, along with an individual and personal lived experience, this assignment tasked students with producing an artefact that critically engages with post-apartheid South Africa. The artefact can take any form.

MANIFESTO

On tackling this assignment, I delved into my psyche, really figuring out how I feel living in a post-apartheid generation.
I discovered feelings of great sadness, yes because of the atrocities of the past, but more so- that there is still great judgement and racism within our society.
Judgement based on materialism.
Judgement based on physicalities.
Judgement based on the amount of melanin coursing through our bodies.

Growing up as a Jewish person, I am surrounded by the teachings of my forefathers and foremothers, teachings from the Bible and words of our sages. I have a commandment and obligation to Dan L’Kaf Zechut - Judge Favourably. I therefore, wished to analyse these teachings and obligations and apply them to how we view individuals and communities within our society.

Tears spring every time I contemplate how cruel man can be and how fickle society was to judge a people based on a race.

Tears spring again, when I consider that perhaps our society is not too far off. You would think that in the age of 2020, of liberalism and human rights- people would be better.

However, growing up I have recognised this is otherwise.

I have seen and heard of crimes against humanity.

I have seen graffiti murals, social media posts and videos of judgement based on race.
I have heard stories of brutality, of name-calling, of cruelties based on race.

I yearn, just as Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King did, for a day where we will “not be judged by the colour of our skin, but by the content of our character” (Martin Luther King, Jr).

I yearn for a day where people realise that we are more than the colour of our skin.

1948 - 1990

2020

CAMPAIGN

The objective of this physical and social media campaign is to confront the viewer, perhaps trigger doubt and guilt, and then inspire. Our society has become one where the materialism is the focal point of a person. This campaign serves as a reminder that in fact, we do not judge another human being based on physicalities and we certainly do not judge another human being based on the amount of melanin coursing through their body.

DESIGN ITERATIONS

Many iterations were formed, refining and defining my designs until I felt they were in total unison with my concept and message.

LOGO

At first, I designed limited to box size- but that felt limiting. I chose a rectangle format.I left a large amount of white space around the name of the cmapiagn.
This symbolises that even though we are confined to the form of our bodies- we should never ever be confined to the physical attributes of that form.
Woe to us if we confine and limit another person based of their phsycial attrbutes and skin colour.

COLOUR PALETTE

The colour palette comprises of two colours. Black and white. I chose a minimalist aporoach, with as little distraction as possible- appropriate to my manifesto and message.

TYPOGRAPHY

On inspecting my manifesto- I realised that every part of my project and campaign has to reflect the core message. I, therefore, chose to use the Ubuntu typeface. My whole manifesto is based on the concept of Ubuntu. Of acting as a bundle, as one whole, as humanity.

PHOTOGRAPHIC SERIES

QUOTES SERIES

Accompanying my photographic series, is a series of teachings and quotes that have inspired me over the years. As this project is forming an argument from my perspective I chose to utilise sayings that have been instilled within me from a young age. My experience of post-apartheid South Africa is from a white, female and Jewish perspective. Growing up I was surrounded by wise words from my foremothers and forefather. Obligations from the Bible and sayings from our sages. I also used poignant quotes from South African and world revolutionaries, such as Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Jr and Desmond Tutu.

ON THE STREETS

The goal is to flood the streets with I am more than my skin colour content. The aim is for these posters to act as a moral compass, as a constant reminder of the Ubuntu way of life.

SOCIAL MEDIA

The world has thrown up its arms at the injustices of brutaity and injustices against people of colour. Social media, specifically Instagram, has been overwhelmed by fuming individuals, groups, communities and companies pleading for justice to be served. Worldwide trending hashtags such as #blacklivesmatter, #blm, #blackouttuesday, #georgefloyd, #ahmaudarbery, #breonnataylor are what convinced me there is a need for the I am more than my skin colour campaign to go live on a social media platform.

See this work here https://www.instagram.com/morethanmyskincolour/

Attributions:

Photo by Leo Rivas on Unsplash
Photo by SwapnIl Dwivedi on Unsplash
Photo by Martin Jernberg on Unsplash
Photo by Cristian Newman on Unsplash
Photo by Jen Theodore on Unsplash
Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/12/us/ahmaud-arbery-autopsy.html
Retrieved from: https://abcnews.go.com/US/fbi-opens-investigation-death-breonna-taylor/story?id=70829091
Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/27/us/george-floyd-minneapolis-death.html

Thumbnail image: Banksy: This Was Not My Dream. Retrieved from: https://baremyart.tumblr.com/post/158489506539/banksy-this-was-not-my-dream

Music by Whitesand - Emotional Music - Home (Royalty Free). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3r8gL1vWGx0

Song by Keedron Bryant I just wanna live. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIuSLBX74Ac

CONTENT WARNING: Video of the Arrest of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEZh0C-pmaw

White woman hysterically calls police to report 'African-American threatening her life'. I Have a Dream speech by Martin Luther King .Jr HD (subtitled). Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2A4ugxEXkJI

I Have a Dream speech by Martin Luther King .Jr HD (subtitled). Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP4iY1TtS3s&t=198s

President Nelson Mandela Inauguration Speech May 10, 1994. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJiXu4q__VU