The Bigger Picture

Jess Phillips MP

      A few years ago, I observed in a blog post that the world felt dark and that anything that could go wrong was going wrong. Every day felt like we were one step away from a point of no return.
     Sadly, I wish I could tell you that my observation has changed, but it hasn’t. We still need to address a lot of issues globally before we can begin to move out of the darkness and into the light: climate change, human rights, the ongoing pandemic, and economic inequality are just a few of the significant issues that need to be grappled with realistically to bring about meaningful change. In the coming years, the effects of these issues will become much more apparent. It’s up to us; we either choose to make the right decisions now or remain feckless, indifferent, and comfortable living in a hellscape of our making.
     Despite the grim realities that surround us, there will always be hope. Pessimism is a poison, and it’s up to each of us to decide if we’re going to gulp it down the same way we suck down our seven-dollar Frappuccinos or if we’re going to try to do some good in the world. Besides, have you seen the price of Frappuccinos lately? My wife tells me they’re almost seven dollars now. Go for the optimism; it’ll be cheaper in the long run.
     Amidst the doom and gloom surrounding us, I have discovered that some people care about things and are doing something to improve the world. Sometimes, finding those people requires looking beyond our limited local confines to other parts of the world. Seeing the picture is essential.
     A few years ago, I discovered one of those people while listening to Out To Lunch, a favorite podcast where people of note get wined, dined, and interviewed in some of London’s best restaurants. Jess Phillips, MP (Member of Parliament) for Birmingham Yardley in England’s West Midlands, is the antithesis of the pessimism and deep social malaise that plague us in this deeply troubled era. If there’s something Jess Phillips isn’t, it’s feckless and indifferent. For the past nine years, ahead of International Women’s Day, she has stood before Parliament and named every woman killed by a man in the UK over the past year. After listening to her interview, I was intrigued to know more about this outspoken and down-to-earth woman. In my research, I discovered that not only is she a member of Parliament and an unwavering champion of women’s rights, but she’s also a fierce advocate of the downtrodden and an author of three best-selling books. Her honesty, outspokenness, and gender have brought her much online abuse from trolls who have said the most vile things to her while threatening her safety. Still, she persists. Her resolve and sizeable cojones have earned her my admiration and made her my second favorite Brummy after Sir Edward Burne-Jones. I’m sure she’d be okay with that.

     Jess Phillips is just one example of the sort of person who motivates me to keep writing this blog. There are others I’ve written about in the past whose names also deserve to be known: Dame Jacinda Ardern, the former Prime Minister of New Zealand, who demonstrated to the world what empathy means during the aftermath of the horrific mosque terrorist attacks in the city of Christchurch when she took to the streets to console the families of the victims.

     Along with the names of courageous people who are making a difference in the world, there are also innocent victims of violence whose names also deserve our respect. Fourteen-year-old Ana Kriégel was lured from her home via social media in 2018 to a derelict house on the outskirts of Dublin, Ireland, where she was brutally attacked and sexually assaulted by three teenage boys. Spotlighting these voices is where my interest lies these days. As I get older, I see that the world is bereft of empathy and understanding and hungry for voices like those of Jess Phillips and Jacinda Ardern. The list of people doing essential things globally and those whose names deserve to be remembered is long, but that is no reason for me not to try and spotlight as many as possible.

     The portrait of Jess Phillips that adorns this post began in the pages of my sketchbook in December 2022. Over the next year and a half, it underwent a myriad of revisions and changes. I thought I had arrived at the final version each time, only to realize I hadn’t. My initial idea was very different from what I completed. Sometimes, you try out new things that don’t work out. That doesn’t bother me; you can’t grow without stumbling and making mistakes. It’s part and parcel of making art. I am nonetheless thrilled with the results. It’s a cracking piece of work that I’m proud to put my name on.