I Am My Brother’s Keeper

Artwork Details and Purchase Information
Original artwork is ink on 11 × 15 inch archival watercolor paper, framed and matted in a standard black frame
Giclée print is an 11 × 15 inch archival watercolor paper reproduction, framed and matted in a standard black frame, and part of a limited edition of 7
Originals, if available, and giclée prints may be purchased in person or directly at LakeemWilson.com
Orders ship within 5 to 7 business days
Local pickup can be scheduled after purchase
 
I Am My Brother’s Keeper
 
Inspired by the documentary eye of Gordon Parks, this illustration captures a charged yet intimate moment between two Black figures seated side by side. One reaches outward with a guarded gesture, not defined by aggression but by awareness. The loose, overlapping lines echo Parks’ ability to reveal tension within ordinary spaces, where domestic settings become sites of vulnerability, care, and quiet urgency.
 
The title reframes a biblical question as a lived truth. In this work, protection is not performative. It is instinctual. Learned early and carried daily. The figures embody the unspoken agreements formed between brothers, friends, and community members who understand that survival is shared. Like Parks’ photographs, the scene resists spectacle and instead centers dignity, presence, and emotional complexity.
 
Rendered in black ink, I Am My Brother’s Keeper reflects the emotional labor placed on Black youth who are often asked to mature before their time. The drawing honors the tenderness beneath vigilance and the love embedded in responsibility. In the tradition of Gordon Parks, the image serves as both documentation and testimony, reminding us that care itself can be an act of resistance and devotion.