'Art Can Touch Our Emotional Core.' Meet the Artists Behind Some of the Most Widespread Images Amid George Floyd Protests

Art by Eric Yahnker; Shirien Damra; Nikkolas Smith

Building a protest movement during a pandemic requires creative — and virtual — work. For illustrators and artists with social platforms, their output has an attentive audience — and an influential role to play, in parallel to the George Floyd and Black Lives Matter protests sweeping the country. Floyd was died in police custody in Minneapolis during an arrest on May 25 that turned fatal after Floyd gasped for air as an officer weighed down on him with a knee on his neck. The officer involved, Derek Chauvin, has since been fired and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. As artists are aware, their responses can help build narratives of empathy and focus action on what matters.