Shepard Fairey's Next Poster Child

Putting human rights campaigns in front of the widest possible audience is a particular talent of Jack Healey, the founder and head of the Washington-based Human Rights Action Center. Well known for his media savvy in the human rights movement, as executive director of Amnesty International USA from 1981 to 1993, he was the force behind some of the most memorable campaigns ever, involving musicians like U2, Peter Gabriel, The Police and others.

Like music, images — such as the iconic “Che” rendering, and the widely acclaimed red, white and blue “Hope” poster featuring Barack Obama by artist Shepard Fairey — can become powerful messengers for spreading ideas. Impressed with the Obama poster, Healey approached Fairey about doing a something similar to build awareness about the plight of Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel winning leader of the democracy movement in Myanmar, also know as Burma. Aung San Suu Kyi won elections in 1990; the military junta would not allow her to become president but instead placed her under house arrest, a situation that has persisted for 13 of the past 19 years.

"I thought he [Fairey] could create an iconic image and do internationally for her what he did nationally for the campaign," Healey told AFP.

Fairey’s poster of the Burmese leader is now complete. The artist has succeeded in creating a positive, yet provocative portrait of the detained leader under the title “Freedom to Lead,” with messages below the predominantly red and black image of a smiling Aung San Suu Kyi stating “support human rights” and “democracy in Burma.”

Human Rights Action Center, the U.S. Campaign for Burma and Causecast, an online social action network, are promoting and distributing the poster for free at their websites to help build support for the worldwide campaign to free the Burmese leader. A large version of the poster can also be downloaded at Fairey’s Obey Giant website.

Photo courtesy of Obey Giant.