Houston's Own Lee Otis Johnson

Original Title

Houston's Own Lee Otis Johnson

Date

1968

Creator

Kenneth Carter See all items with this value

Description

Carter’s drawing is of Lee Otis Johnson, a former TSU student, organizer, and leader of the Houston Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. Houston police repeatedly targeted Johnson, and in 1968 they arrested him for passing marijuana to an undercover officer, and a judge sentenced him to 30 years in prison. This injustice gained widespread notoriety, and “Free Lee Otis” became a rallying cry.

Primary Subject

1900-1999 See all items with this value

Art See all items with this value

HBCU student work See all items with this value

HBCU student activism See all items with this value

Additional Subject

American South

Black art

Discrimination

Police brutality

Political organizations

Protest

Type

Print

Medium

ink and pen on paper

Measurements

21 1/4 in x 17 1/4 in

Format

JPEG

HBCU Identifier

pc245

HCAC Identifier

HCAC.TSU.0189

Rights

All rights held by the University Museum at Texas Southern. For permission to publish, distribute, or use this image for any other purpose, please contact University Museum, Texas Southern University umuseum@gmail.com Attn: Museum Director. Materials not created by Texas Southern University may still be under copyright. Additional materials may be presented for educational and research purposes in accordance with fair use under United States copyright law.

Contributing Institution

Texas Southern University

Collection

Permanent Collection See all items with this value

References

"The Law: The Agitator." Time. 13 March, 1972. https://time.com/archive/6639423/the-law-the-agitator/.

Schwartz, John. "Lee Otis, Free." Texas Monthly. August 2022. https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/lee-otis-free/.