My sculpture of Philando Castile was created to honor his life and to continue to shine a light on how
the Black male continues to be used as a symbol of fear. He was not committing a crime. He was
traveling home with his family. Tragically, he was killed in front of his young daughter at a traffic stop by
an officer while complying with instructions. The officer was exonerated because of his fear of the Black
body. My mind kept playing this ugly, recurring loop of racial violence based on fear. As it turns out,
Philando Castile was mourned as being a man of compassion and character by his family, his colleagues,
and the children that he helped at work. He would donate money to feed underprivileged students. His
death was a tragedy.
I thought it fitting to create an angel of an elder male looking towards the heavens in supplication. Men
are also nurturers. This sculpture serves as an altar piece. Within the cavity of his torso, rests Mr.
Castile with pillars of bullet shells. The angel laments for the souls of Black males, for the loss to their
families and the loss of their contributions to society. My choice of form, medium, texture, and hues
were chosen to reflect the complexity and normalization of societal norms.

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