Noah Scalin

Dr. Olivia Hooker was a psychologist and professor, as well as the first Black woman to enter the U.S. Coast Guard. She was also one of the last surviving witnesses of the Tulsa Race Massacre.

This piece was inspired by a photograph of Dr. Hooker at age 6, which was taken in 1921, the same year as the brutal destruction of the Black Wall Street, by racist white residents of Tulsa.

The image is initially created using lit matches, to make an indelible burn on the wooden panel beneath to represent the rawness, intensity and violence of this history. The portrait is then recreated in vibrant colors to show the intensity of the human spirit of the subject and give a holistic representation of the person, rather than defining her only by the pain & struggles she experienced.

The Fire Next Time series, named after the James Baldwin book published in 1963, is about the history of Black people in America, the injustices they have fought against over the past 400 years, and the ongoing fight for civil rights and true justice for all.