The creator of a digital image of Kamala Harris set against the shadow of civil rights activist Ruby Bridges is suing a vendor on Etsy for selling the picture in their online store. The original artwork, produced by the artist collective Good Trubble, went viral in 2020, shortly after Harris was installed as vice president of the United States.
A lawsuit filed by Good Trubble in a California district on October 10 alleges that Irem Erdem of Round Rock, Texas, deliberately committed copyright infringement because of the image’s “widespread dissemination” online.
The digitally-created artwork designed by Bria Goeller for Good Trubble is titled That Little Girl Was Me. It was released on October 20, 2020, and went viral shortly after the last U.S. presidential election in November 2020, when Harris became the first Black and South Asian woman to be elected vice president. The image can be bought as a print or on t-shirts and other products on Good Trubble’s website, including a new version featuring the White House in celebration of Harris’s current bid for the presidency.
The image pairs the figure of Harris with silhouette of activist Ruby Bridges as a young girl. It quotes from Norman Rockwell‘s iconic 1964 painting The Problem We All Live With, which depicts the historic event of a six-year-old Bridges being escorted by four deputy U.S. marshals into the all-white public school during the New Orleans school desegregation crisis of 1960. This measure was taken to protect her from the threat of violence, which is hinted at by a racial slur and the splatter of thrown tomatoes scrawled on the wall behind her.
The Problem We All Live With, Norman Rockwell (1963). From the permanent collection of Norman Rockwell Museum. Licensed by Norman Rockwell Licensing Company, Niles, IL.
The artwork made by Goeller for Good Trubble was inspired by a 2019 televised debate between democratic party candidates in which Harris spoke of her experiences being bussed to school as a young Black girl living in Oakland, California. “That little girl was me,” she said, memorably.
Good Trubble is described in the court filing as a “Black-owned creative firm” based in San Rafael, California. Founder C. Gordon Jones alleges in the lawsuit that, upon hearing Harris speak at the debate, he “sought to create a work that would celebrate Harris and empower Black people everywhere.”
“Impressed by just how strong Bridges had to be to do what she did at such a young age, and knowing how strong Harris is, Jones knew the two historical figures needed to be featured together,” the filing reads. The Norman Rockwell Museum apparently embraced the artwork, “indicating it bridged the gap between the past and the future.”
After Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election with Harris as his running mate, Good Trubble’s image became an overnight sensation, receiving thousands of repostings on social media—among them an Instagram post by Bridges herself. According to the court filings, the image was featured in over 50 publications and news stories worldwide, including in articles by The Los Angeles Times and People Magazine, and on television shows such as The View. During Black History Month in 2022, the company made NFT offerings featuring the work with a portion of the proceeds benefitting nonprofit organizations that champion women’s and girls’ rights around the world.
The court documents, first reported by Court Watch, state that Good Trubble sent Etsy a takedown notice under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act on September 28, 2024. After the listing was removed, the defendant sent Etsy a counter notice the next day. The online marketplace informed Good Trubble that it would reinstate the listing on October 11 unless the company initiated legal action.
Good Trubble is now seeking damages for either $30,000 for copyright infringement or $150,000 for “willful infringement.”
The company did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.
On their website, Good Trubble is described as “a collective of artists, civilians, and change agents who believe that we can make this a better world.” They also claim to “use art to raise awareness of social issues.” Other prints available on its website include “Two Colors of Water,” which features a young white boy helping a Black boy reach a water fountain designated as “white only” and a T-shirt print depicting Muhammad Ali knocking out Donald Trump.