"For My Community" - A portrait of Sylvia Rivera

Digital Mixed Media Painting | 8000*4504 px JPG "We didn't take no shit from nobody. We had nothing to lose. You all had rights. We had nothing to lose. I'll be the first one to step on any organization, any politician's toe if I have to, to get the rights for my community." - Sylvia Rivera The reference for the portrait painting is a series captured by Valerie Shaff in '96 just before the destruction of her home for the build of the Hudson River Waterfront project. Rivera described the event as follows: “It’s called a sweep. Not even a fucking eviction. A sweep, like we’re trash.”