Artist Statement.... Yabo
1988 - An open letter to America…
My professional name is YABO. I am an
American Nigger. I am a writer, sculpture,
poet and an artist. I am sixty-four and quick
of mind and fleet of foot. In my youth, I
garment design was my forte. I made ball
gowns for some very prominent people in
Hollywood, California.
I recently read an article about your
endeavors to help lift this race of ours to a
higher plain. This also has been my goal all
of my life. My works
of late depict Black Heroes of many eras.
As you know the selling of Black Heroes is
very hard in our present political morays.
The article stated that you would like to find
black talented folks that have something to
offer that uplifts all of us. My stuff is good
enough to let us see a brighter light.
Many of our people fought for their
freedom and made a real effort to get the
yoke off their backs. We seldom hear of
some of the Africans that refused to wait
for emancipation and took to freeing
themselves and others. These heroics by
Blacks are hidden or deleted from history.
Black youngsters would have a hell of a lot
more to be proud of if they knew more of
these untold truths. I am from Santa
Monica, California and have attended
some of the finest schools in California,
and yet the real facts about Blacks were
over-looked in our curricular. I don't mean
for my work to be construed as protest, but
they should be viewed as a huge step
toward self and race pride.
Sincerely yours,
Albert Yabo Stewart
My professional name is YABO. I am an
American Nigger. I am a writer, sculpture,
poet and an artist. I am sixty-four and quick
of mind and fleet of foot. In my youth, I
garment design was my forte. I made ball
gowns for some very prominent people in
Hollywood, California.
I recently read an article about your
endeavors to help lift this race of ours to a
higher plain. This also has been my goal all
of my life. My works
of late depict Black Heroes of many eras.
As you know the selling of Black Heroes is
very hard in our present political morays.
The article stated that you would like to find
black talented folks that have something to
offer that uplifts all of us. My stuff is good
enough to let us see a brighter light.
Many of our people fought for their
freedom and made a real effort to get the
yoke off their backs. We seldom hear of
some of the Africans that refused to wait
for emancipation and took to freeing
themselves and others. These heroics by
Blacks are hidden or deleted from history.
Black youngsters would have a hell of a lot
more to be proud of if they knew more of
these untold truths. I am from Santa
Monica, California and have attended
some of the finest schools in California,
and yet the real facts about Blacks were
over-looked in our curricular. I don't mean
for my work to be construed as protest, but
they should be viewed as a huge step
toward self and race pride.
Sincerely yours,
Albert Yabo Stewart
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