In recognition and celebration of Juneteenth, a day that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, Chicago Fire commissioned a custom illustration from local artist Fantasía Graham.
You can see more of her work on Instagram at @justfanni. Here you can learn more about Juneteenth, and how MLS and its member clubs are celebrating.
Below Graham writes her inspiration for the piece, which comes from her experiences as a young artist in Chicago.
As a child, I was obsessed with color, especially the color of black skin. It's beauty was something to marvel but when coloring in my books, hardly ever could I find crayons or markers that could represent its range. I used almost every color in the box and still couldn’t capture its beauty. With this piece, I was inspired by my childhood, finding crayons and trying to show just how “colorful” we are. As a black woman, I believe it’s important to share my experiences with finding my identity through my art — this is how it all started, using every crayon in the box because a singular brown just wasn’t good enough. It just so happens that red, green, and black were the first colors I used as an alternative — the colors of the Pan African flag.Just Fanni.Chicago born and raised.
