Adrian Piper “Decide Who You Are, Anita Hill”
The artifact, “Decide Who You Are, Anita Hill” by Adrian Piper displays a series of questions, doubts and concerns projected on the little girl smiling in the poster. Most of the writings on the poster specifically appear to be gaslighting with comments such as, “I don’t understand where this is coming from”, to “Everyone does that so what”, to “your perceptions are distorted” and so on. This text appears to take place during the civil rights movement; an era dedicated to activism for equal rights and treatment of African Americans in the United States. People who were opposed or insecure to the movement would gaslight African Americans in an attempt to manipulate the situation to their favor. This artifact can attract a lot of people due its red font and the adorable smile of the little girls face. I also feel as if the little girl smiling contradicting to the words being said in the artifact will make people think, “what is this poster trying to tell me”, therefore spreading awareness. Overall, this artifact is well designed and I can see why it has been glamorized many years later by people across the United States. The lesson I learned by this artifact is: Don’t let society box you in. Stand on your beliefs and always do what is best for you and whoever you consider family. Lastly, stay the course because you will only fail when you stop chasing your mission. You can’t fail if you keep going.