Art has historically served as a salve for Black folks in times of despair. And for many of us, despair entered the building and removed its shoes following the Nov. 5 election of President-elect Donald Trump.
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Hence the impact of this now-viral image of a group of Black women watching the world burn against an orange backdrop, which has certainly been the talk of at least one of your group chats or social media feeds this week. The feedback — divided firmly by age group, which we’ll get into in a second — has ranged from “this is powerful” to “why is the cast of ‘Set it Off’ watching 9/11 happen?”
The image, created by Atlanta-based influencer and content creator Nikki Free, definitely evokes the frame of the “Set it Off” foursome sitting on top of the roof. Flames and billowing smoke emerge from skyscrapers as the women sit on top of an American flag. One of them wears a shirt reading “92%,” which obviously represents the 92% of Black women voters who supported the candidacy of Vice President Kamala Harris.
Created using AI, the image now sits in the pantheon of viral Black art, filed alongside the New Year’s baddie leaving the toxic boxes in the last year. Free, a self-described “50+ fashionista,” posted a response to the image’s feedback on her Instagram account, saying she had originally created the image with AI and posted in the comments of a friend “to represent how I and so many other #BlackWomen are feeling.
“Somehow, it struck a collective nerve, going viral in ways I didn’t foresee,” Free wrote. “Right now, many Black women are feeling exhausted—disappointed, let down, and tired of always being the moral compass for a nation that seems to reject us at every turn.”
“As this country cracks under the weight of cruelty and chaos, we are choosing something different this time,” she continued. “We are stepping back, standing on the sidelines, and prioritizing ourselves. For once, we’re embracing the power of rest, healing, and self-preservation. It’s long overdue.”
What’s notable about the women sitting on the skyscraper is who’s praising it and who’s not. On Facebook — the domain of social media users over age 50 — our moms and aunties are loving the image....share the same fed-up sentiment about the election results that the art is meant to convey.
X, on the other hand has been mocking and ruthless, questioning why they’re letting smoke get into their fresh sets and the notable omission of any of the women wearing Harris’ signature silk press.
Collectively, Black women of every age group have acknowledged they’re taking a step back after repeatedly being called on to save the country from political turmoil, only to have mud thrown in their face every time. They came out to vote for Harris at a rate that trounced every other demographic — and yet they’re still forced to endure Trump for another four years.
How Black women want to communicate that frustration may be the root of this divide: Older folks want to make that intention loud and clear, including viral imagery as part of their ministry, while the younger folks probably want no response as their response.
Regardless of how they choose convey it, one thing is certain: Black women — of all ages — are tired.
Straight From 
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