The Attributed Arms of the Black Lives Matter Movement

The attributed arms of the Black Lives Matter Movement, designed by Dr. Krouse.

During the Selma marches in 1965, Dr. Marin Luther King, Jr. famously paraphrased a quotation attributed to Theodore Parker.  When King was asked how long will it take until social justice has been achieved, King responded, "Not long because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."  NPR ran a story on this famous quotation back in 2010, click here to listen to it.  I've been reflecting a lot lately on what that arc looks like.

I've watched in horror the events unfolding over the past two weeks.  I've been processing the images from the news, the protests, and the thousands of Americans (and many across the globe) marching for justice.  As a white man living in America, I do not pretend for a second to know the pain and fear that Black men face everyday walking down streets, shopping in malls, or otherwise living their lives.  I'm angry.  I've been reminded recently that this phenomenon is not new in 2020, for it's been going on in this country since the days of settlement.  

I want to do something.  I wanted to create a noble coat of arms reflecting both Dr. King's arc as well as the barriers my Black sisters and brothers face everyday.  This led to the line drawing above and I wanted to share it.  Apologies for the photograph as I do not have access to a scanner at the moment.  I say "attributed" arms because I'm attributing them to the movement.  Throughout the history of heraldry, it's not uncommon to see attributed arms, think those of Jesus or the Blessed Virgin Mary.  They did not bear arms as we know it, so history has granted arms to them.

The blazon for the attributed arms of the Black Lives Matter movement is as follows:  Argent a fist couped Sable flaunches gules masoned of the field, on a chief of the second a demi dove displayed of the first.    

My design rationale for these arms follows.  I knew I had to use the fist as the main charge, so I chose to render it sable (black).  I wanted to incorporate the flaunch to show the arcs as a reference to Dr. King's famous quotation, but show these as "masoned" so that they appear as brick walls.  This image of brick walls clearly illustrates the barriers that Black women and men have fought (and continue to fight) to break down.  Moreover, rendering the masoned walls in gules (red) reflects the blood of the innocent.  Overall, I wanted the white dove of peace in the chief (the top of the shield) to show that the arc of justice will bring peace.  I really wish I knew digital heraldry, as these arms would be gorgeous rendered in full color.

I love this design and the symbolism it carries.  I wanted to design something within the accepted rules of heraldry that was befitting the noble cause of justice for all Black lives, because Black lives matter.  

The attributed banner of the Black Lives Matter movement, by Dr. Krouse.

 

Update:  I've doodled some more as I was never quite happy with the dove's face.  Here's my revision as of June 10th.  The revised blazon is: Argent a fist couped Sable flaunches Gules masoned of the field, on a chief Vert a demi dove displayed of the first with a halo Or.  I hope this helps the overall color scheme and helps depict the dove of peace more fittingly.  For the dove, I used La Rose's arrangement for heraldic birds.  I mean, he's the best!  Click here to read an updated post on the attributed arms of the Black Lives Matter movement.

The revised arms of the Black Lives Matter Movement by Dr. Krouse, June 10, 2010.