The social justice topic I chose was on the trans community, specifically the black trans women community. I wanted to represent the women who were killed in the past years and make names known. My whole idea was that they are not just a number on a chart, but real people with lives and purpose that deserved so much more than they got.

I wanted to do something about trans/nonbinary people seeing as I have lots of background knowledge and am a part of the community myself. We started this in February, black history month, so I thought about the most vulnerable people in the community: Black trans women. I hate seeing news articles on the deaths and horrible situations they are put through for trying to live comfortably in their own body.

Originally it was just going to be an art piece on nonbinary people, but I realized that it was black history month and that the murders of trans women are a big deal. I wanted to raise awareness and give people resources so they know how to help. I combined my two favorite art forms-writing and drawing-so I could make this piece and ensure I would be as motivated and put as much effort into it as possible. I wanted to have something that was easy to pick up, see, and read, so it’s a postcard. You can put a stack on desks and people can grab some and learn more about trans women.

Gene Knapp

Not Just A Statistic

2020

IBIS PAINT X, 4" x 6"