Sue Lefebvre
www.suelefebvre.com Lives in Phoenix, Arizona |
Sue's blog
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 Today, I’d like to talk with you about the cover of my book. My friend, Dan Millis, who currently works for the Sierra Club in the Borderlands, found it on the Internet, I think. He then posted it on FaceBook. When I saw it, I said, “I have to have that image for my book.” This was in about 2008 and I just published my book in 2019: No More Deaths, Humanitarian Aid is Never a Crime. I found the artist, Carlos Barberena, on line and wrote to him for permission to use his image for my book cover and asked how much it would cost. He said I could use it for free if I would agree to provide him with two books and credit him in the front of the book for the art. I was delighted.
First, I used the image on the cover of a 40-page booklet I wrote for the 10th anniversary of No More Deaths in 2014. Then, I used it on the cover of the 640-page book I just published in 2019. I sent Carlos 2 copies of each edition. Let’s take a look at the image itself. First, of course is the depiction of the Good Samaritan giving much-needed water to a pilgrim. Some people even see an image of the Pieta, Mary holding Christ’s head, by Michelangelo. Next is the desert, and, yes, the mountains, with cactus and the bare skull telling of the dangers to anyone caught trying to cross. Birds, in this case three of them, often signal hope. But here, I think, they portend the search for human carrion. In the background we see, from Nogales, Sonora, the yellow McDonald’s arches beckoning across the international line--la frontera. Finally, Carlos has included an NMD patch on the shoulder of the Samaritan, representing the humanitarians Carlos met while in Southern Arizona. In January of 2017, nine No More Deaths volunteers were arrested on the Cabeza Prieta Wildlife Refuge in Southern Arizona. The eight young women were each fined $250 for misdemeanor and civil offenses. Dr. Scott Warren was charged with three felonies. In June, the trial jury was hung 8-4 in favor of Scott. Now he is to be retried in November, on the 12th, in the federal courthouse in Tucson. So, to help raise funds for his defense, I once again approached Carlos to ask if I could use his image on a t-shirt. Once again, he agreed, with the stipulation that I share the proceeds with No More Deaths. Until Scott’s jeopardy is over (he faces 10 years for giving shelter, food, and water to two Central American men) a portion of the proceeds will go to his defense. After that, they’ll go to No More Deaths. Barberena travels the world studying cultures in many locations for inspiration for his art. Please check out his website at carlosbarberena.com. He’s a Nicaraguan artist who now lives in Chicago. My next task is to ask him his shirt size so I can send him a t-shirt that fits. Below the image is information about Scott’s trial. Buen Suerte, Sue Lefebvre
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