“I was never really encouraged to be an artist or anything. I don’t think anybody took me seriously,” says Edythe Boone in a trailer for “A New Color: The Art of Being Edythe Boone.” The self-taught artist has spent decades of her life encouraging others’ love of art by teaching underserved youth and seniors.
The spot sees Boone reflecting on her dreams — which include developing a new color — and the advice she tells her young pupils. “I always tell kids, ‘You can’t change your beginning, but you can sure put a nice, beautiful ending to the story,'” she explains.
Eric Garner, who tragically died after a police officer put him in a chokehold that continued despite his pleas that he couldn’t breathe, was Boone’s nephew. She recalls being fearful every time her sons and grandsons left the house — she was terrified they’d never come home.
“The persistence of racial inequality in this country evokes for activist artists like Edy powerful and deep questions: Have Edy’s nearly eight decades of social justice work meant something? Has it been worth the sacrifice? Can building multicultural bridges through art bring about positive change? Who will carry on her civil rights legacy?” the film’s synopsis asks.
Directed by Mo Morris, “A New Color: The Art of Being Edythe Boone” is available for purchase via the doc’s website.
