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Paul Rucker: The symbols of systemic racism -- and how to take away their power

TED Talks2018Creative Commons
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About this film

Multidisciplinary artist and TED Fellow Paul Rucker is unstitching the legacy of systemic racism in the United States. A collector of artifacts connected to the history of slavery — from branding irons and shackles to postcards depicting lynchings — Rucker couldn't find an undamaged Ku Klux Klan robe for his collection, so he began making his own. The result: striking garments in non-traditional fabrics like kente cloth, camouflage and silk that confront the normalization of systemic racism in the US. "If we as a people collectively look at these objects and realize that they are part of our history, we can find a way to where they have no more power over us," Rucker says. (This talk contains graphic images.)

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TED.com

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Tedtalks;TED;Talks;race;community;activism;humanity;identity;peace;self;social change;society;art;TED Fellows;TED2017;2018

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