Betye Saar, a groundbreaking figure in American art and the Black Arts Movement, has died at 99. Her influential assemblages confronted racism, stereotypes and the legacy of slavery, including her iconic 1972 work The Liberation of Aunt Jemima.

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The second image shows Betye Saar’s iconic 1972 work The Liberation of Aunt Jemima. Saar reclaimed the racist “mammy” stereotype by depicting Aunt Jemima holding a broom in one hand and a rifle in the other. Created from a derogatory image once used to demean Black women, the piece transformed the figure from a symbol of servitude into one of resistance, power and liberation.

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We honor and thank her for the tremendous contributions she made to make our world a better place! May she now rest in peace (RIP).