By Alex King
Miss June Alexander told me that she had been misdiagnosed with mental illnesses that she didn’t have. She was pumped with medicines that she didn’t need, and she fell ill because of those medicines. After hearing her story, I conducted some research that resulted in finding that an innumerable amount of black people in America have been, and continue to be, diagnosed with mental illnesses that they do not have. This visual portrait of June represents the multitudes of black people in America who are misdiagnosed with mental illnesses.
Her multi-colored eyes and hair show who she truly is, which is a creative, strong, intelligent woman. The background shows what doctors and society have projected onto her, which is far darker than who she is. As the picture expands it breaks apart, as the diagnoses have pulled her life apart, but her identity has remained unscathed in the center. The drawing is covered in cling film to represent the defenses that June has had to utilize throughout her life.
August 2018