I'm Jonathan K. Part and welcome to K. Part. Black women occupy such a fraught place

in American society that Malcolm X's words from 1962 sadly still ring true today.

He said quote, the most disrespected person in America is the black woman.

Challenging the negative perceptions that undergird that disrespect has been the focus

of many an artist for decades.

In this conversation, first recorded for Washington Post's Live on April 6th, we're turning

the spotlight on one of them.

McElene Thomas has been called an artist for the ages with her work celebrating the beauty

of black women featured in exhibitions around the world, including the Smithsonian.

We not only talk about her art, we also talk about the importance and power of seeing black

people, black women, engaged in leisure and relaxation.

So you know, I didn't realize in the opening montage, we showed a lot of your work and

I didn't realize you were the creator of one of my favorite pieces of art in the Smithsonian,

the reclining black woman with the glittery red shoes in the lips.

Portrait of manga, yes, I love that's a fantastic painting, it really is.

So you know what, in a profile last year, my colleague Robin Goodvon wrote that you depict,

and this is a quote from her, black women in repose, black women indulging in the luxury

of self assurance, black women existing in a world of their own creation.

Just as the black women in the painting, we were just in the work we were just talking

about, how did black women become your muse?

I think that's a very important question when you're thinking about the trajectory of my work

and where I've come from and where I am today, I think it has a lot to do with my personal

...