During the 1970s, White, a Los Angeles–based artist and teacher, paid homage to Black feminist role models in Love Letter, a series of three lithographs. He created the first print, Love Letter I, in response to the arrest and imprisonment of UCLA professor Angela Davis. In 1970, Black Panthers had used weapons registered in Davis’s name in an armed takeover of a Marin County courtroom, and prosecutors charged her as partially responsible for the crime despite there being no evidence of her involvement.

White depicted Davis hovering above blooming roses—symbols of love and respect—their colorful brilliance standing out against a fractured, scoured background. Before Davis was acquitted in 1972 following a 16-month incarceration, White featured his Love Letter series on postcards calling for her release that advocacy groups then sent to politicians, including California Governor Ronald Reagan.

—Text taken from the Carter Handbook (2023)