Brendan Yanu Rigdon

In these two paintings, I’ve depicted Simon of Cyrene, the Libyan man who helped carry the cross of Christ. As a white Christian, I have lamented the way that popular paintings and drawings of Biblical narratives replace historical people of color with white representations. The message in this art seems to be that Jesus was a white man with a message for white people. The American Church’s history of silence in the face of racial injustice further underscores its misunderstanding of Jesus’ teaching on the value of Black lives. In my paintings, I have tried to capture the Africanness of Simon as he carries the cross with Jesus. I hope others will be led to reflect on the ways that people of color continue to faithfully carry the cross.