$till Got It

This piece depicts a Black man walking towards his home with the words "I got mine$" serving as a header and footer. In direct response to the “Original No Man’s Land” sign, this piece asserts the humanization of Black people as well as their permanence in Oklahoma history before and after statehood. With Coronado’s 1541 expedition in mind, which included enslaved Africans, the artist positions how Black people on the expedition walked the land just as the man pictured walked his. With manhood and land ownership being the central themes of the piece, it challenges the sign’s claims that this is no man’s land. Channeling the spirit of the “I am a Man” protests during the civil rights movement, it communicates “I am a man, I got mine$, and I still got it.” The brick house symbolizes how strong and foundational our history is to the larger historical narrative, with brick itself representing physical, spiritual, and financial protection and security. The word “mine$” is an intentional choice as a colloquially correct AAVE term. Paired with the usage of the 2 dollar bill as a material in the creation of this piece, it also exudes abundance when considering the term in its literal sense as a mine of resources. The reference to cattle ranching in the 1870s, as well as the man in the yard, call to “O.G.,” another piece in the series centering Black cowboys. As a rich ending to this three part series, “$till Got It” serves to educate the viewer on the longevity of the Black presence in the Oklahoma territory.