The above political cartoon, inspired by the ongoing protests of the ‘Black Lives Matter (BLM)’ movement, has

been created by Carlos

Latuff. This cartoon was published in 2020 on MintPressNews.com following the death of George Floyd and the protests, which
sparked throughout the nation of USA after his death.

In the cartoon, on the left, is an African-American woman dressed as the Statue of Liberty with paraphernalia similar to that of the
original statue however, with a few minor changes such as the bottle of alcohol with a burning piece of cloth in right hand instead of the
original torch and book in left hand with the words “I Can’t Breathe” written on them. This object in the right hand is the sign of protest
from the black community, who are standing up against oppression, racism, decimation, apartheid, inequality, white supremacist, and
every single person, who looks down upon black people and thinks that they are any less than people of other races and colour. The
words I can’t breathe on the book were the last words of George Floyd, a black man, who was brutally suffocated and murdered by a
Caucasian police officer in Minneapolis. This started a chain reaction of large-scale peaceful demonstrations against police brutality
and discrimination against people of colour in the United States of America. Additionally, the torch in the right hand stands as a marker
or symbol of change.

Latuff has efficiently made a statement through this cartoon with usage of colours,
and the way each character is drawn. As a matter of context, the African-American
woman posing as the Statue of Liberty is holding what appears to be a book that
reads, ‘I can’t breathe,’ which were the last three words of the late George Flloyd, an
African American man who was killed by a Caucasian cop, and his death ignited
protests all over the U.S. The cartoon is a symbol for President Trump’s racism
towards people of colour that has encouraged racist actions throughout the country.
The primary audience consists of all the citizens of America, be it the republicans or
the democrats and liberals.
The African - American woman posing as the Statue of Liberty, one of the seven
wonders of the world, has an expression that shows that she is screaming and in clear
distaste. Her hair is of a stereotypical characteristic that African American women
generally have, an afro. The signature colour of the statue, which is turquoise,
represents feelings of tranquility, calm, none of which correlate with the hostile
expression on the woman’s face, and the situation of chaos. The burning torch that
she is holding is bright yellow. While yellow signifies energy and optimism, here it
symbolises deceit, because the U.S is supposed to be the most powerful, and the
greatest country in the world yet it treats its minorities in the worst way possible,
however conceals this truth with its materialistic achievements. The torch is also
meant to signify freedom, yet it is incredibly ironic that even after all the centuries of
independence, the United States is still not a safe and free country for minorities.
The entire body language of the woman is in agony, and the wishes of her people to
be viewed as equal is very apparent.
The figure on the right side is Donald Trump, the POTUS displayed with an
accurate sense of illustration. He is wearing his signature blue suit, white shirt and a
red tie, which are also the colours of the American flag. The white symbolises purity
and innocence, red, hardiness and valour, and blue signifies vigilance and justice.
Notwithstanding the fact that neither President Trump, nor the justice system of the
U.S has exhibited these traits or feelings when it comes to people of colour, including
Asian or South Asian Americans, African-Americans, etc. It is notably important
that common allegations and Trump’s impeachment only enhances the fact that he
is neither pure nor innocent, hence, the colours he wears contradict his personality,
even though these colours and the emotions behind them is what America should
stand for. In the cartoon, Trump is holding a bible with a cross on its cover, which is
meant to signify a press meeting he did shortly after the protests started, in front of a
church, and held a Bible in his hand to stand for paparazzi photoshoots. In the
original paparazzi photos, he was holding the Bible upside down. The purpose of
this was to stand against damaging churches and property as a way to fight against
police brutality. It is also notable that the Africa American woman is holding the
sign that says ‘I can’t breathe,’ in the same position and angle as Trump is holding
the Bible, demonstrating the fact that he is using religion as a way to justify police
brutality and death of minorities due to injustice.
In the cartoon, Trump is seen holding a white dog through a spiked chain, and the
dog is wearing a cloth with military colours and it reads ‘U.S Army.’ The dog is
drawn to look agitated and angry, with him growling and barking, and sharp teeth.
This also correlates with the incident where Trump involved the U.S Military Guard
due to the intensity of the violent protests that had reached the very area of the
White House. The National Guard was meant to end the protests, or at least protect
the White House and President Trump. A critical point to note here is the colour of
the dog, which is white. It can be insinuated that the colour of the dog that is meant
to represent the U.S army suggests that the military is predominantly white or
Caucasian, and also that most of the Caucasians often bully and discriminate against
the African-American community due to racial bias. The dog’s tongue is bright red,
and is wearing a blue spiked collar around his neck, which are again the colours of
the American flag. The irony is that in spite of the dog wearing a green vest, which
essentially signifies freedom and breaking from shackles, the cartoon demonstrates
that the dog is bound to its owner through chains. In biblical terms, green means
victory of life over death, nonetheless, an innocent man was still murdered because
of his race much like thousands of such cases over the years, which just might be the
biggest contradiction of it all.
In conclusion, this cartoon in particular is just a piece of artwork that represents and
manifests a broad, deep-running and larger issue at hand. A disturbing set of events
that led to an uprising of the Black Lives Matter movement yet again in the United
States, this one more violent than the rest. Latuff has used adequate symbolism
through colours and expressions of the illustrations of each character to convey their
message through a cartoon. A political cartoon can trigger a lot of controversy, and
this being a forte of Latuff, it efficiently communicates a more pressing issue at hand,

which shows that human lives matter more than dirty politics.