The 2008 HOPE poster designed by Shepard Fairey was so popular, the Obama camp officially approved its widespread distribution. But the new President, who will today swear to defend the U.S. Constitution as 44 others have done before him, probably won’t like the posters made for his inauguration day. The Seattle-based nonprofit Amplifier Foundation commissioned Fairey, Ernesto Yerena, and Jessica Sabogal to work with photographers on a project called We the People. These new posters say no to hate, no to fear, and no to the blatant racism stoked by Donald Trump and his followers.
The Kickstarter campaign raised nearly $1.4 million – far exceeding the $60,000 goal. This has allowed the group to take out full page advertisements in the Washington Post, reminding readers and anyone else in D.C. for the inauguration of the values laid down by our forefathers.
“Much of Washington will be locked down on Inauguration Day, and in some areas there will be severe restrictions on signs and banners,” the campaign notes.
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“But we’ve figured out a hack. It’s called the newspaper! On January 20th, if this campaign succeeds, we’re going to take out full-page ads in the Washington Post with these images, so that people across the capitol and across the country will be able to carry them into the streets, hang them in windows, or paste them on walls.”
The designers identified segments of the American population who will be most vulnerable under the new administration, including Muslims, Latinos, African-Americans, and members of the LGBTQ community, and put their faces on the posters with positive messaging.
“It’s really about making sure that people remember that ‘we the people’ means everyone, it means all the people,” Fairey told CNN. “I think the campaigns were very divisive, more from one side than the other. But (it’s) just reminding people to find their common humanity, and look beyond maybe one narrow definition of what it means to be American.”
Via CNN
Images via Amplifier Foundation / screenshot
