Faith Ringgold: Wanted.

WANTED

The title of this piece, Wanted: Douglass, Tubman, and Truth, refers to three notable figures: Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and Sojourner Truth (from left to right). All three were former slaves who, once free, went on to speak, write, and act to help other slaves. Why do students think the artist used the word Wanted in the title?

LIGHT AND DARK

Ringgold painted this work over a piece of quilted fabric. Ask students: What time of day do the background colors suggest? (Night, perhaps with a full moon.) What colors did Ringgold use for the three figures, and what do those colors remind you of? (Black and white: old age, wisdom, solemnity, churches, funerals.)

HAVE A SEAT

Ask students: Are the three figures standing or sitting? How can you tell? (The position of Douglass' hands suggest that they are resting on his lap, and the red shape behind the group looks like it could be a couch.) How does having them seated affect the way we perceive them? (It gives them more dignity; they look at peace.) See page 34 for more information and activities.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Meet the artist

As a child, Faith Ringgold was taught to make quilts by her great-great grandmother--whose own mother, as a Southern slave, had sewn quilts for plantation owners. This personal history informs Ringgold's art, including her storytelling quilts and children's books (such as the Caldecott Award-winning Tar Beach). Traditionally, quilts were used in the African-American community to exchange secret messages, preserve memories, and tell stories.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Ringgold was born in Harlem in 1930 and worked as a teacher for more than 18 years. A feminist and activist, she believes in the power of the spirit to soar and achieve one's dreams--for all races. Encourage students to participate in Ringgold's "Racial Questions and Answers" study on www.faithringgold.com. The site asks visitors to imagine what it would be like if their racial identity was changed one morning from black to white or vice versa. Use it to launch a discussion about racial understanding.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Heroes of History

The three figures depicted on Faith Ringgold's masterpiece were all famous "conductors" on the Underground Railroad, the secret route to freedom in the North for escaped slaves.

Sojourner Truth

BORN: 1797 DIED: 1883

BACKGROUND: Sojourner Truth was amazing for her time. She freed herself from slavery, traveled around the United States preaching and speaking out against slavery, had a book published about her during her lifetime, and purchased and sold her own land.

ACTIVITY: Truth is famous for a speech she gave on women's rights in 1851 called "Ain't I a Woman?" Have students find and read the speech, then role-play what Truth might say today were she to appear on a modern-day talk show.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Frederick Douglass

BORN: 1817 DIED: 1895

BACKGROUND: A remarkable speaker, author, traveler, abolitionist, and eventually Minister of Haiti, Frederick Douglass was born a slave in Maryland. He escaped in 1838 after 21 years as a slave. A champion of the abolitionist cause, Douglass traveled the country making speeches and writing articles about the terrors of slavery. He wrote The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave and started a newspaper advocating freedom for slaves. ACTIVITY: None of the subjects in Ringgold's painting is looking straight at the viewer. Instead, their expressions suggest that they are thinking of faraway events and places. Have each student write a first-person internal monologue about the plans and dreams of Douglass, Tubman, or Truth.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Harriet Tubman

BORN: 1820 DIED: 1913

BACKGROUND: Harriet Tubman, also born a slave in Maryland, is believed to have been responsible for shepherding approximately 300 people to freedom during her work on the Underground Railroad. Tubman herself escaped slavery and fled to Philadelphia and eventually on to Canada. She returned to the South and risked her personal safety many times, making 19 trips to free fellow slaves. She was so successful that a reward of $40,000 was posted for her capture. After the Civil War she founded two schools, worked for women's rights, and opened a home for the elderly. ACTIVITY: The Underground Railroad was not a real railroad but an association of people who worked to help others. All the "riders" were headed to the same destination: freedom. Ask students to design tickets for a rider in the railroad. What should a ticket to freedom look like? How much would such a ticket cost?

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

RELATED ARTICLE

Here's all you need:

* A photo of each child's personal hero

* T-shirts

* Cardboard

* Chalk

* Fabric paints with fine nozzle tops (and/or small paintbrushes)

* Fabric scraps

* Permanent fabric glue

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Now get to work:

Faith Ringgold honored three African-American heroes through her painting. Now students can honor their own heroes by using Ringgold's style of painting on fabric. Guide children through the following steps:

1. Insert cardboard inside your t-shirt to make a firm surface and to prevent paint from seeping through.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

2. Using chalk, sketch your hero on the front of your t-shirt.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

3. Use fabric paints to paint an image of your hero and his or her name. Let dry. Turn the t-shirt over and paint "My Hero" on the back.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

4. Cut fabric strips to create a quilt-like border around your image. Glue in place with permanent fabric glue.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]