Shirien Damra's illustrations have been shared across the world. Instagram
Shirien Damra's illustrations have been shared across the world. Instagram
Shirien Damra's illustrations have been shared across the world. Instagram
Shirien Damra's illustrations have been shared across the world. Instagram

Palestinian-American artist's tributes to George Floyd and Breonna Taylor shared across the world


Sophie Prideaux
  • English
  • Arabic

As Black Lives Matter protests have spread across the world, so have tributes to George Floyd, the man whose death resparked the movement.

Perhaps the most recognisable of those tributes is an illustration by Shirien Damra, a Palestinian-American artist. Damra posted her colourful artwork shortly after Floyd's death during police arrest on Monday, May 25, and it has since been liked more than three millions times and had hundreds of thousands of shares.

But it's not just online the illustration is being shared. Over the weekend, Damra's illustration was turned into a livery for a race car driver as part of a George Floyd 100 iRacing event in North Carolina. The car was covered with the blue floral design, which features an image of Floyd with the worlds "Justice for George" printed above.

The design has also been turned into a placard by protestors taking part in Black Lives Matter demonstrations across America, as well as stencilled onto building to create mural tributes.

A second of Damra's illustrations, a tribute to 26-year-old Breonna Taylor, who was shot and killed by police who broke into her home, was also widely shared at the weekend as people marked what would have been her 27th birthday.

Among those to share the artwork was Australian actress Margot Robbie, who also shared Damra’s work for Floyd.

It is not the first time the illustrator, 33, has stood in solidarity following unjust killings in the US. Earlier this year, she also created an art work following the death of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia, who was shot while out running by two white men claiming they were conducting a citizen’s arrest for burglary.

"I was afraid that people would only see the video and remember his soul being taken away from him," Damra told Elle. "I wanted to not only have the art for myself to process, but also in the hopes that other people that are facing similar things can identify with it and help them process, too."

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South Africa 66 (Tries: De Allende, Nkosi, Reinach (3), Gelant, Steyn, Brits, Willemse; Cons: Jantjies 8) 

Canada 7 (Tries: Heaton; Cons: Nelson)

F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

While you're here
Surianah's top five jazz artists

Billie Holliday: for the burn and also the way she told stories.  

Thelonius Monk: for his earnestness.

Duke Ellington: for his edge and spirituality.

Louis Armstrong: his legacy is undeniable. He is considered as one of the most revolutionary and influential musicians.

Terence Blanchard: very political - a lot of jazz musicians are making protest music right now.

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(Toronto lead 3-2 in best-of-seven series)

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Family reunited

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was born and raised in Tehran and studied English literature before working as a translator in the relief effort for the Japanese International Co-operation Agency in 2003.

She moved to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies before moving to the World Health Organisation as a communications officer.

She came to the UK in 2007 after securing a scholarship at London Metropolitan University to study a master's in communication management and met her future husband through mutual friends a month later.

The couple were married in August 2009 in Winchester and their daughter was born in June 2014.

She was held in her native country a year later.

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Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company

The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.

He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.

“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.

“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.

HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon. 

With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.