The Black Drawings series brings together symbols and imagery of the neighborhoods in East L.A., which were rampant in cases of police brutality during Frank Romero's adolescence. The choice of graphite on paper allows the artist to render stark contrasts and instantaneously capture scenes that reflect Romero's commitment to addressing socio-political issues and the struggles of the Chicano movement in the 1960s and early 1970s. “Its tragic subject links [Romero’s work] to a tradition of activist history painting that commemorates pivotal events that shaped history,” - E. Carmen Ramos, Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art, exh cat.