Art, Education, and Justice: Sarah Lewis on Combating Racial Discrimination
“Ignorance enables racism, but racism depends on ignorance. It thrives when we lack knowledge of the facts,” says Sarah Lewis, Associate Professor of African and African American Studies at Harvard University and founder of the Vision & Justice program, which connects research, art, and culture to promote equity and justice.
Lewis recently spoke at the United Nations Headquarters during an event marking the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. In an interview with UN News, she discussed how art, culture, and education can play a pivotal role in addressing racial discrimination.
Art as a Catalyst for Awareness and Change
Growing up near the United Nations, Lewis was intrigued by the power of narratives—how they shape perceptions of belonging and influence laws and social norms. Her research focuses on how cultural narratives evolve over centuries and their role in shaping justice.
While policy and legal frameworks are crucial, Lewis emphasizes that sustainable change requires shifts in cultural messaging—through images, monuments, and storytelling. She references Frederick Douglass, the abolitionist leader who, in his 1861 speech Pictures in Progress, highlighted how images can expose injustice and inspire action. Douglass believed that transformative change does not rely on individual artists but on how visual representation alters public perception and mobilizes people to challenge inequality.
The Role of Education in Combatting Racism
Marking the 60th anniversary of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, Lewis stressed the importance of education in tackling deep-rooted racial discrimination.
“We are in an era where the content of our curriculum is being contested,” she explains. “There are efforts to present slavery as beneficial, focusing on the skills it provided to the enslaved rather than its brutality.”
For Lewis, education is a key battleground. “Ignorance makes racism possible, but racism necessitates ignorance—it requires that we remain unaware of historical truths,” she says. Understanding historical injustices and their ongoing consequences compels individuals and nations to take action. Without proper education, policy reforms and international conventions cannot be fully implemented or sustained.
Challenging Bias Through Everyday Narratives
Beyond formal education, Lewis highlights how societal narratives shape perceptions of race. “We educate not just through universities or school curriculums, but through the stories and images that surround us daily,” she explains.
She urges individuals to question what they see and why: “What narratives define who belongs? How do societal messages reinforce bias? What role can we play in changing them?” Everyone, she insists, has a responsibility in fostering a more just and inclusive world.
The Importance of Visual Representation in Education
Reflecting on her own education, Lewis recalls noticing gaps in what she was taught—not due to any single educator, but because of an ingrained cultural bias that prioritized certain narratives over others.
“Silence and erasure are incompatible with nations that claim to champion justice,” she states. Through art, she recognized the significance of representation—how societies decide which histories, images, and stories to highlight or omit.
Her research led her to explore societal failures in addressing overlooked narratives. “Justice requires humility—the willingness to recognize past mistakes and correct them,” she says. She believes this humility must be embraced by educators, students, and society at large to ensure a more inclusive historical record.
Turning Failure Into Progress
Lewis also explores the idea of “near wins”—progress that emerges from acknowledging failure. “How many social justice movements began with the admission that we were wrong?” she asks.
She shares the story of Charles Black Jr., a key figure in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case that ended legal segregation in the U.S. In the 1930s, Black attended a dance party where he was captivated by a trumpet player—Louis Armstrong. The brilliance of Armstrong’s music led him to question the legitimacy of segregation. “In that moment, he realized that racial injustice in America was profoundly wrong—and that he, too, had been wrong,” Lewis explains.
Inspired by this revelation, Black dedicated his career to civil rights law, becoming one of the attorneys who helped dismantle segregation. He later taught at Columbia and Yale, where he held an annual “Armstrong Listening Night” to honor the musician who transformed his perspective.
For Lewis, Black’s journey is a powerful reminder: recognizing our errors is a crucial step toward justice. “We must not let failure discourage us but use it as a catalyst to keep pushing forward,” she urges.
Through education, art, and storytelling, Lewis believes societies can reshape narratives, confront historical injustices, and work toward a
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