The tragedy of the Trayvon Martin killing has generated more and more attention as the facts of the case come out. Amidst all the issues brought up by the case – racism, gun laws, stereotyping – the purported role of Martin’s attire, specifically his hoodie, has drawn special attention. The New Yorker has a slide show of drawings by R. Kikuo Johnson on the theme.
Cartoonist Jen Sorensen, of the cartoon Slowpoke, addresses ‘the apparel of peril’ in her most recent comic:
To delve into the subject of stereotypes of race and violence in the US, particularly in regard to black men, here are some titles to consider:
Black male : representations of masculinity in contemporary American art / Thelma Golden – NX652.A37 G65 1994
Black looks : race and representation / Bell Hooks – E185.86 .H734 1992 (currently on Reserve)
Seeing a color-blind future : the paradox of race / Patricia J. Williams – E185.615 .W493 1998
The envy of the world : on being a Black man in America / Ellis Cose. – E185.86 .C58829 2002
Playing the race card : melodramas of black and white from Uncle Tom to O.J. Simpson / Linda Williams – P94.5 .M552 U67 2001
Color-blind : seeing beyond race in a race-obsessed world / Ellis Cose – E185.615.C68 1997
Race-ing art history : critical readings in race and art history – N5303 .R27 2002
