Lorna Sorrell was born in Berkeley, California, as the daughter of a biracial couple in a city that was often the epicenter of the black social justice movement during the 1960s.  

Her father, for example, was a chef who owned a French restaurant in Oakland, next to the Black Panther Party (BPP) organization. It is important to remember the formation of this party came on the heels of the assassination of key civil rights leaders and continued violence and social/economical inequalties experienced by African Americans. The work of the party included community service programs like The People’s Free Medical Clinic,  children’s free lunch programs, food pantries, and community schools.  Their creation of free lunch programs, in fact, inspired the modern day free school lunch programs that currently exist throughout the United States today.  The widespread popularity of the party led to a heightened concern over their prominence in the black community, resulting in the government’s active efforts to destroy the party’s reputation and dismantle the organization.   

Lorna grew up in this era, an environment where there was a heaviness over the loss of notable civil rights leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. A heaviness that would be exacerbated by incidents that continued to occur in the black community.  The culmination of these events including the murder of George Floyd would spark her re-engagment in activism using art as her medium.  Therefore, she began producing posters, signs, and t-shirts for rallies, marches and other events. 

Artistic capabilities which started at age two, when she was given her first set of crayons have evolved and manifested into an iteration of what you now see- powerful bold images that honor African American Heroes.

Contact info: Lornaart21@gmail.com