On March 4, 2014, an exhibition of new works by renowned African American painter Arvie Smith debuted at the Portland Museum of Contemporary Art. Among the pieces on display was Smith's We Be Loving It, a painting which integrates the wide-eyed, wild-haired Buckwheat trope into a setting reminiscent of Munch's The Scream. The piece is one which came about as a response to the murder of Michael Brown by Furguson, Missouri police officers, and the ongoing absence of justice, when it comes to police brutality and excessive force directed at, and total disregard for the lives of black men, women, and youth.
When asked about the painting and it's relationship to this issue, Smith was quoted as saying, "...with the killing of this young man it just all tied together. You can kill a Buckwheat. You can kill something that you have dehumanized — something that is no longer human to you — it's a lot easier to dispose of."
Longtime museum security guard Silas J. Abernathy viewed the painting while on duty, and observed museum attendees and their reactions to it. He was later heard to remark to a coworker, "Some black guy with a paint brush and a fancy degree hangs that on the wall, and it's "art." I dress up like that for a variety show at the lodge and it's "racist." That, my friend, is what you call a double standard, and it's why this country is going straight to hell."
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