Hope for the Future

Charles Wilbert White American

Not on view

Created while White was an artist in residence at Howard University in Washington, D.C., this lithograph illustrates the hopelessness felt by Blacks during this time. A sorrowful mother holds up her child, the "hope for the future," in large protective arms. Although the title indicates an optimistic outcome, the view through the window suggests just the opposite. Under cold gray skies, a lone leafless tree inhabits a barren lifeless world. The noose tied to its branches is a chilling reminder of the lynchings taking place in the South and an indication of the newborn's uncertain fate.

Hope for the Future, Charles Wilbert White (American, Chicago, Illinois 1918–1979 Los Angeles, California), Lithograph

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