A study in contrasts: The evolution of black art as social protest

"We have made progress, but there is a stark line between freedom and equality," echoes Brian Washington, an African-American artist and attorney from Cincinnati whose parents attended segregated schools. "Just because you are free does not mean you are equal."

It took 13 years for Washington to complete "The Continual Struggle," a collection of 34 paintings of mixed charcoal documenting America's historical struggle against segregation. "The monochromatic is ageless and universal,” says Washington, 36, symbolizing "a timeless struggle.

The celebrated collection is now touring at presidential libraries and museums around the country; former President Bill Clinton wrote the forward to the exhibition book. During a recent event at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, Washington met the widow of civil rights activist the Rev. Ralph Abernathy. Juanita Abernathy told Washington it was "the best rendition" she'd seen of the civil rights era.