Justice Now

The author, artist, and humanitarian Ashley Bryan, whose archive was recently acquired by the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, responded to Civil Rights protests about police brutality in the 1960s with this series of drawings, made from his studio overlooking Tremont Avenue in the Bronx.

According to the Ashley Bryan Center timeline, Ashley took the Bronx studio in the early 1960s, upon his return from an extended visit to Germany, where he had been studying on a Fulbright scholarship.

While the dates written on the actual drawings just say “1960’s”—some look like they were originally identified as being from the 1950’s, only to have the “5” turned into a “6” later on—the most likely date for these images is 1963. In that year, the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) led a series of protest marches in New York City, including the Bronx. “CORE” is present on many of the posters held by protesters. 

This online exhibit presents eleven works on paper: two pen and ink drawings and nine watercolors. The signs carried by these protesters speak to today’s issues as well: “Stop Police Brutality Now,” “End Police Bias Now,” “Jim Crow Must Go,” “Freedom Now,” “We Demand Decent Police Now,” and “Justice Now.” 

See also:

Ashley Bryan Archive, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts (collection overview)

Remarkable Figures: Women in the Art of Ashley Bryan (exhibition, 2020)

Vibrant Wonders: A Year Celebrating the Illustrations of Ashley Bryan (2020 calendar, Penn Libraries)

Ashley Bryan Center: more information on Ashley Bryan, his life, and his work