People's Meeting

One Book One Northwestern, 2024–25

This artwork was selected in response to themes in Northwestern’s community-wide reading of The Night Watchman (2020) by Louise Erdrich.

In People’s Meeting, artist Charles Keller shows people whom he called "ordinary citizens" coming together for a cause. While the artist doesn’t specify the cause, the print affirms the fundamental American freedoms of speech and peaceful assembly. Keller shows a mix of people—among them a well-dressed woman, a man in a suit, and another in a collarless shirt—against the backdrop of the American flag. Flyers on a bulletin board in the back are also evidence of community organizing. The grassroots nature of this group reflects a kind of organizing similar to that in The Night Watchman.

In The Night Watchman, one of the main characters, Thomas Wazhashk, organizes a group of people from the Turtle Mountain Reservation to go to Washington, D.C. The tribe’s members contribute in different ways to fight against the termination (or "emancipation") bill, which would have ended federal assistance and recognition of tribal rights. As Erdrich writes,

E-man-ci-pation. Eman-cipation. This word would not stop banging around in his head. Emancipated. But they were not enslaved. Freed from being Indians was the idea. Emancipated from their land. Freed from the treaties that Thomas’s father and grandfather had signed and that were promised to last forever. So as usual, by getting rid of us, the Indian problem would be solved.

We are happy to provide a shareable pdf booklet and downloadable images for teaching and engagement. You can schedule a class visit to discuss these works in person in our study center by contacting Essi Rönkkö at essi.ronkko@northwestern.edu.