Last week, Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh ordered the statues of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson removed. Under the cover of darkness, city workers covertly removed symbols of America’s history without the consent of the people. But an even bigger problem stands in place of the Confederate generals.
Photo credit: Baltimore Sun
Her name is “Madre Luz.”
Translated to “Mother Light,” Madre Luz is a paper-mache statue depicting a pregnant black woman, baby on her back, and fist in the air. She also comes with all the customary liberal trimmings-a rainbow sash and glitter.
In this case, they are hiding flawed thinking.
The statue was built in 2015 by artist Pablo Machioli. Along with his friends, Machioli wanted to draw attention, through art, to social justice issues like racism and white supremacy. After the Baltimore riots, the group placed “Madre Luz” in front of the Lee-Jackson monuments. But, city officials took it down and fined Machioli $75.
However, believing there would one day be another opportunity to display his art, Machioli stored it at his home in a makeshift warehouse. His opportunity came in the form of another riot–Charlottesville. So, once again he and his friends returned “Madre Luz” to stand in front of Lee and Jackson.
It is still standing there today-Generals Lee and Jackson are not.
Photo credit: Pinterest
While the statue is self-explanatory, Machioli’s message is not so clear. If his intention is to replace what he believes was a symbol of white supremacy with a symbol of freedom, he is clearly missing the mark.
Afterall, the “fist in the air” was the symbol of the Black Panthers, an inherently racist and violent leftist group.
Come to think about it, maybe his message is perfectly clear?
