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A Boston College graduate student’s art exhibit on display during February in O’Neill Library honors the contributions of young black men and women in the struggle for racial equality and social justice.
“The Power of Youth Movements in Black History,” located in the O’Neill Level One Gallery, features artwork created specifically for the exhibit by BC School of Social Work student Frank Garcia-Ornelas. His pieces cover the period spanning the civil rights movement of the 1960s to recent protests concerning police actions in Ferguson, Staten Island, Cleveland and elsewhere. The exhibit is sponsored as part of Black History Month by the Thea Bowman AHANA and Intercultural Center, the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs and Boston College Libraries.
A native of Kansas City who is enrolled in BCSSW’s mental health concentration, Garcia-Ornelas says he sought to celebrate the “fight and spirit” of young black men and women, and their allies, as well as major figures like Martin Luther King Jr.
“I never felt comfortable expressing myself vocally on many levels, but when it comes to art I am just able to let my thoughts and feelings explode on paper, canvas, or clay. I doubt that I will ever get on a stage and captivate an audience like Martin Luther King or John F. Kennedy did, and I am fine with that. However, if I am allowed to formulate my feelings in a creative way, I just might be able to move that audience in a way that words could never do.
“Art is powerful: It can start a war or end one, build you up or break you down, fill your heart with love or pain. And most importantly, art has been around since the dawn of man and will be here once we are no longer. This is why art is so significant to me.”
Garcia-Ornelas says he hopes the exhibit will encourage reflection and conversation on issues of race in the United States, and that people express their opinions “in a manner that is respectful and thoughtful.” As a Jesuit university and a diverse community with a strong interest in social justice, BC can and should be active in efforts to promote racial equality and harmony, he says: “Why watch change happen when we can initiate and be that change?”