“How do you decide you don’t like somebody just because they’re not the same color? Did the Creator make a mistake by making the rainbow? I don’t think so.”
90-year-old Paul Collins has spent his life traveling the world, living among the people of West Africa, Japan, the Middle East, Native American reservations, capturing in paintings what makes their cultures unique, and their humanity universal.
“We're really all one big, huge family and we’re different colors but deep down inside, they’re our relatives.”
His art has hung in prestigious galleries around the world and is now featured at a special exhibit in Detroit.
One piece called “Harriet Tubman’s Underground Railroad” showcases slaves’ journey to freedom. Collins says it portrays what happens when people unite.
“It was because white folks would hide black folks to help them on the way and things like that we can never forget. Look what we can do if we get together and stop fighting and take the hate and put it in the garbage can.”
The exhibition called “Paul Collins: The Traveling Artist” at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit runs through March 2.
