Abrazo

Mister Toledo

The inspiration behind Mister Toledo’s art piece is “Empathy”. He describes this as “an emotional skill that the world really needs to put into practice.”

The last couple of years have been rough with extreme demonstrations of hate, violence, and racism. To make matters worse COVID shut the world down- isolating everyone from the community. In his lifetime, Mister Toledo has never seen the world in such a divided state. He states that,  “We need to begin the hard work of humanizing our “neighbor” – this is Empathy in practice. Take the time to learn the stories of others all while experiencing that story from THEIR vantage point not YOURS.” The mark is often missed when trying to fit others into boxes instead of appreciating them for who they are, and who they’re becoming. In making this effort, a sense of understanding, a sense of compassion is developed. Empathy.

In Mister Toledo’s piece, there are two people from opposite sides embracing, showing compassion for each other. No person is an island. Mister Toledo expresses that, “We are only as healthy as the least among us. Together, and only together, is there a future worth fighting for. Juntos Creamos Cambio.