Warriors with Guns

The weapons change. The principle of preparedness does not.

Warriors With Guns is a modern visual tribute to Robert F. Williams, the first president (in exile) of the provisional government of the Republic of New Afrika and the history represented by his landmark work Negroes with Guns. Rather than reproducing the imagery of that era, this design carries its central tension forward through a symbolic collision of ancient warfare and modern force.

At the center stands an African-inspired warrior shield—a reference to the older ways battles were fought, when protection and combat meant shields, spears, formation, physical courage, and disciplined defense.

Behind it are modern rifles, representing the weapons of the present age.

That contrast is intentional.

The shield says: We remember where we came from.

The rifles say: We understand the world we live in now.

Together they form the meaning behind the phrase: WARRIORS WITH GUNS

and the declaration: **STANDING ON THE OLD, BUT LIVING IN THE NOW**

“Standing on the old” is not about remaining trapped in the past. It means recognizing the warrior traditions, survival knowledge, discipline, courage, and methods of defense carried by earlier generations.

“Living in the now” acknowledges that the battlefield has changed. Spears became firearms. Shields became modern systems of protection. Tactics evolved. Technology advanced. The tools are different, but the questions surrounding preparedness, power, defense, and self-determination remain.

That is the visual language of the design: the old warrior and the modern warrior occupying the same symbol.

The piece also pays homage to the uncompromising legacy of Robert F. Williams, whose work challenged Black Americans to reconsider the relationship between dignity, protection, and the right of communities to defend themselves in the face of violence.

This is not an attempt to recreate Negroes with Guns. It is a contemporary response to it.

A reminder that every generation inherits history, but every generation must understand the conditions of its own time.

Honor the old. Understand the present. Be prepared for the world you actually live in.

Warriors With Guns — Standing on the Old. Living in the Now.