Glenn Ligon is best known for his language-based approach to art. His art largely covers American history, approaching stories of slavery and civil rights with contemporary audiences in mind. His work, I Am a Man, demonstrates these themes best. It was inspired by the death of two sanitation workers in Memphis and the actual signs that workers on strike carried during their protest of poor wages and unsafe working conditions. Artist Dread Scott drew inspiration from the same incident in 2009, with the performance art piece, I Am Not A Man. Scott performed in Harlem wearing a sign that said I AM NOT A MAN and dressed as a Civil Rights protester. This performance was intended to call attention to the lack of value placed on Black lives in America.
