Graffiti For Obama

Graffiti artists are taking this year’s election into their own “cans”—get it, cans. Anyway, the idea of change is popping up in street art all over the country: from Obama as Superman on a New York City street, to the man himself shaking hands with America in Chicago; graffiti has taken to Obama like 50 Cent to the dollar bill.

Graffiti provides a voice for the voiceless, those whose opinions are not often covered by the standard media. It has been used as a means for political subcultures to get their word on the street and into the minds of the everyday folk.

For decades, graff artists used the peace sign as a symbol for positive change. Today, Barack Obama is that symbol. With the election just five days away, maybe McCain should get his graffiti grind on and start tagging “Maverick”—or maybe “MavOne”—on city blocks.

-Bilal Morris