Cairo, Illinois Civil Rights Era Lithograph, 1960s

Black Power lithograph of Cairo, Illinois

Cairo, Illinois has a long and turbulent history black community action and white reaction. Cairo prospered in the Reconstruction Era with steamship and railroad industries dominating the area, though as these industries fell in decline, racial tensions grew-- with multiple lynchings around the turn of the century.

The Civil Rights era saw massive protest and constant action from the black community of Cairo, culminating in the creation of the Cairo United Front which brought together the NAACP, local community groups and street gangs. The Front demanded a black police chief, black fire chief, an equal ratio of black and white jobs in the city, an end to segregation and a decades long boycott of the white businesses in town. Failure by the white officials to meet the demands created a tense environment in Cairo, with elements of revolutionary guerilla warfare breaking out for years-- buildings were firebombed, police were shot, in 1969 alone there were 170 nights with reported gunfire. 

This striking lithograph unites the struggle for black liberation as a spiritual continuation of the freedom sought by Moses, linking 1960s Cairo, Illinois with the Cairo of the Old Testament.

26” x 19.75”

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