Her Artistry Was So Powerful, Police Arrested Her

Black History Year

PushBlack

History, Society & Culture

4.3 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 12 February 2025

⏱️ 4 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Faith Ringgold was known for interpreting political movements and their struggles through art, from narrative quilts to paintings. But in 1970, the police thought she’d gone too far - and arrested her for making this powerful and possibly illegal statement. _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school. You make PushBlack happen with your contributions at BlackHistoryYear.com — most people donate $10 a month, but every dollar makes a difference. If this episode moved you, share it with your people! Thanks for supporting the work. The production team for this podcast includes Cydney Smith and Len Webb. Our editors are Lance John and Avery Phillips from Gifted Sounds Network. Lilly Workneh serves as executive producer. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Ready to launch your business? Get started with the commerce platform made for entrepreneurs.
0:04.8	Shopify is specially designed to help you start, run and grow your business with easy customizable themes that let you build your brand.
0:12.5	Marketing tools that get your products out there. Integrated shipping solutions that actually save you time.
0:17.5	From startups to scaleups, online, in person, and on the go.
0:22.0	Shopify is made for entrepreneurs like you.
0:24.5	Sign up for your $1 a month trial at Shopify.com slash setup.
0:30.0	Faith Ringgold was a master of interpreting political movements through her art,
0:34.8	from narrative quilts to powerful paintings.
0:37.9	But in 1970, the police thought she'd gone too far, and they arrested her for making this
0:44.5	poignant, impossibly illegal, statement. I'm Sydney, and this is two-minute black history,
0:51.0	what you didn't learn in school.
1:03.3	On November 13, 1970, New York City Police raided Judson Memorial Church.
1:09.0	Faith Ringgold, John Hendricks, and John Tosh had just wrapped up day five of their art show.
1:10.0	The charge?
1:13.1	Desecrating the U.S. flag.
1:18.8	The exhibit, called the People's Flag Show, was a bold response to censorship.
1:26.6	Three years earlier in 1967, an art gallery owner was convicted for displaying anti-Vietnam War art featuring the flag.
1:29.4	Ringgold and her collaborators knew this wasn't right, so they decided to fight back.
1:34.7	They invited artists to submit pieces resisting censorship and repression, and for days they
1:39.9	showcased everything from paintings to performances. One artist even burned a flag. The backlash was
1:47.1	swift, and the raid led to their arrest. All three artists were fined $100 for mutilating the flag.
1:55.7	That's about $800 today. But they didn't stay quiet. They declared, quote, we have been convicted, but it is this
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in -1 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from PushBlack, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of PushBlack and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.