Deacons for Defense and Justice

African Americans have historically used armed self-defense to protect their families and communities against slavery and oppression, therefore the formation in 1964 of a small group of working-class men in Louisiana was not unprecedented. This group defied the nonviolence policy of the mainstream Civil Rights Movement and formed an armed self-defense organization to protect movement workers from vigilante and police violence. The Deacons for Defense and Justice had hundreds of members throughout the deep south. They were complemented by other groups with similar mission some were older and more secretive. These groups offered security and protection for the National Association For The Advancement Of Colored People (NAACP), Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Congress Of Racial Equality (CORE), and others sometimes without said organizations knowledge. There were others (not belonging to any organized group) who acted as personal bodyguards for individual civil rights workers.

These groups saved the lives of countless civil rights workers when state and federal governments offered little or no protection. Their role during the civil rights movement cannot be understated. The intent of this painting is to highlight the courageous effort of those men sought to protect their families, communities and civil rights worker through armed self-defense.