Ringgold's The Flag Is Bleeding #2

Title: The Flag Is Bleeding #2
Artist: Faith Ringgold
Year: 1997

This is one of the paintings from Faith Ringgold's flag series. Like the one we saw in class, the red stripes are portrayed as dripping blood. In this painting though, there is also blood dripping from the woman's breasts as her two children cling to her legs. The woman's face and majority of her body is set on a different plane that is behind the stars and stripes, but her children are not. My interpretation of this detail is as follows: The American flag is a symbol of freedom and meant to represent all of the people of the United States. However, by putting the woman of color behind the stars.. it shows that at this time, the identity of women of color and people of color in general is obscured or not included in the symbol of unity. The people of color are a part of the nation, but not truly accepted/embraced, and they lack the freedoms and rights that the flag represents. The children are not behind the stripes because they represent a new generation, one in which people of color gain true membership and equal rights.