November 7th in Austin, Texas, voices will be raised to speak about how mass incarceration hit families the hardest. On the south steps of the state capitol hundreds of families will gather to say we have had enough. An artist from El Paso, Zeque Peña, generously contributed this incredible art. Check out his statement about its creation.
“I guess the top image depicts a family affected by incarceration. The thousands of families that have to continue without fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers. Those communities are all colors but disproportionately brown, black and red. I can only imagine the impact on a young boy that is raised with his father locked up. Unfortunately this has proven to create a viscous cycle of generational incarceration. Sons serving time with their fathers.
Similarly the image on the bottom illustrates how although one person is locked up, there is an entire community ‘behind’ them. Affected by their absence. And these affected communities are not going to stand by while their family, friends and loved ones are wrongfully sentenced and in some cases wrongfully incarcerated. In short, the community has got their back.”
My site is: www.zpvisual.com”
-Zeque Penya