Born in Atlanta, Georgia, during a period of intense racial segregation, Emma Amos mines her background as a Southern black woman in her work. At the center of this composition, a screen-printed photograph shows a horsedrawn wagon attended by several figures. During the artist’s youth, wagons like this one were used to transport crops such as tobacco and cotton—critical products of the Southern economy. In the post-slavery American South, black labor continued to play a vital role in the economic growth of the region.

The diagonal cross of the Confederate battle flag frames this photographic image. In its loose, painterly style, the depiction of the flag seems to imply that the experiences of black Americans continue to be framed by the effects of this symbol. Debate continues over Confederate images remaining visible in our government spaces and on store shelves. In her combined image, Amos asks us to consider the role our shared history plays in shaping the present.