Arts and Humanities Under Attack Again After Obama Portraits Were Unveiled

13Feb
by Leticia Chavez-Garcia

Official Obama Portraits Unveiled And They Are Not What You’d Expect!   

Behold the Obamas official portraits as immortalized by African-American artists, Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald. Wiley is now the first African-American artist to have been commissioned to paint an official presidential portrait.

The former first couple’s official portraits were unveiled at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. All former presidents have their portraits hanging in the museum.  It’s important because Barack Obama inspired a generation of children of color and his legacy should continue to inspire.  As usual, former First Lady Michelle Obama had words of wisdom to impart:

“I’m also thinking about all of the young people, particularly girls and girls of color, who in years ahead will come to this place, and they will look up, and they will see an image of someone who looks like them hanging on the wall of this great American institution,” Michelle Obama said.

Equally important is the ongoing need to support arts and culture in education.  Shortly after the unveiling of these portraits, the current President has called for ending funding to public media and television and the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities to be eliminated entirely.  We cannot let this happen.

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Leticia Chavez-Garcia

Leticia Chavez-Garcia is a Mother, Grandmother, former Middle School Teacher, former Member of a School Board of Education and an Education Advocate for hundreds of parents and students in the Inland Empire. Having become a mother at 15, Leticia knows what it’s like to be a single mother trying to navigate the education system. Leticia received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science and Public Administration from California Baptist University and a Masters’ Degree in Education Technology from Cal State Fullerton in her 30’s. Leticia has used her knowledge and experience to help hundreds of families as an Education Advocate in the Inland Empire and currently works as an Education Specialist.

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