Existing comment:
Carlos Francisco Jackson
born Los Angeles, California 1978
Breaking the Fast, 1968
2012
screenprint on paper
As a Chicano studies professor, Jackson noticed that many of his students knew little about the civil rights era. This realization inspired a series based on documentary photographs of major historical events, like the day César Chávez broke his twenty-five-day hunger strike in 1968. Jackson renders the scene in vivid colors that capture Chávez's weakened physical state and the presence of several key figures, including Helen Chávez (César's wife), Filipino American labor organizer Larry Itliong, and U.S. Senator and then presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy. By monumentalizing his photographic source, Jackson underscores Chávez's importance and proclaims the event a milestone in national history.
Gift of Drs. Harriett and Ricardo Romo, 2019.50.2 |