The emancipation proclamation was issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, as the nation approached its third year of bloody civil war. The proclamation declared "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free (https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured_documents/emancipation_proclamation/)." Since the unpredictable, horrifying slave trade for over 4 centuries took place, Africans as well as African Americans, have never been respected nor treated as equals. When I tied this thought to the artwork of Mkize, I realize that this piece was created to spark awareness and discussion, because racism and hatred is still taking place to this very day. In recent years, Africans and African Americans struggle to become equal individuals in a world of diversity. The art piece itself shows one of the many emotion that blacks and Africans feel in their everyday lives. The man is wearing a suit, which shows that he is not what society has shaped him to be, meaning a criminal. The man’s image leaves me to believe that he could possibly be a great citizens, who works hard for his family, and community. If my inference is true, it will not hold true to value, due to many negative social preconceives and racial