SIGNATURE WORK
CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION 2022

In 2020, James Scurlock, a Black man, was murdered by a white bar owner in Omaha, Nebraska while protesting George Floyd’s death. Two years later, the city has seemingly forgotten James’ death, but for his family, life has not moved on. His daughter, Jewels, was only seven months old when he died; she will never get to know her father. James’ siblings struggle to move through a haze of grief, made worse by the very public spectacle his death had become.

As one woman stated about James’ murder, “You never hear about something like this in Omaha. It’s supposed to only happen in big cities. This was, like, a what-the-fuck moment.”

It does not only happen in big cities; the present state of racist violence in Omaha did not emerge without context, nor did it come about solely due to local events. While the public has become increasingly aware of the impact of systemic racism and violence, the statistics and videos that aid this rising awareness also dehumanize the victims and distance watchers from the human consequences of systemic racism.

What can a statistic impart about the toll grief is taking on James Scurlock’s family?
What can a shaky cellphone video of his death communicate about who he was as a person?

This multi-faceted project attempts to combat that distance and dehumanization by confronting systemic racism on an intimate, micro-level through personal stories and local history.