Wanted Poster Series #6

This drawing is part of the "Wanted Poster" series, a group of more than twenty works inspired by pre-Civil War posters advertising slave auctions and rewards for runaway slaves. Quoting Article IV, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, the stenciled text is taken from what is commonly referred to as the Fugitive Slave Clause, which authorized the capture and return of runaway slaves. The sum “30,000” and the word “VALUABLE” frame the figures and mimic pre-Civil War posters. The separation of the child and woman points to the ways that slavery severed both familial and cultural ties. By using the confederate and American flags as his background, White highlighted the continued legacy of institutionalized slavery in the United States. As White explained: “During the past decade the black people of this country have waged a heroic militant struggle for their fundamental rights. As a result they have on numerous occasions been jailed or in some instances become fugitives. I see many parallels between the period of slavery and now.”