Juarez Hawkins is an artist, educator and curator. As Co-Curator of Gallery Programs at Chicago State University, she has organized exhibitions from the permanent collection, as well as student work and established artists. Recent curatorial projects include Black Clay at Chicago State; Radical Futures at the Museum of Contemporary Art; and Bill Walker: Urban Griot at the Hyde Park Art Center. Juarez is a member of Sapphire and Crystals, a collective of African American female artists.
Juarez Hawkins, Chicago, IL, Running While Black Linocut
As a female runner, I am well aware of the unwritten law of social order that mandates that I avoid night, vehicles, solitary spaces, trees, shrubs and dogs. Carrying a blade as a backup could land me in lockup.
What do I carry to protect myself against those who hunt and destroy black bodies at will, in broad daylight? Where’s my backup?