Cbabi shouts out to Barack Obama and Wiley Price

Elsewhere on Confluence City, I have told the story about the prayer for Obama that went around the world on email chains, forwarding a photograph taken by Wiley Price of The St. Louis American.

As I said in that previous post, Obama was in St. Louis to speak at an African Methodist Episcopal conference. As our young reporter Jessica Bassett said in the news piece that accompanied the now-famous photo, "Before addressing the convention, the Illinois senator met privately with church bishops who prayed for his safety, health and good guidance during his historical race to the White House."

That is the moment that Wiley photographed, and that thousands (perhaps, by now, millions) of people would later forward to their friends, with the subject line "RE: PHOTO U WON'T SEE ON FOX!!!!"

Now the great St. Louis artist and caricaturist Cbabi Bayoc has made a painting from Wiley's world-famous photograph; it's reproduced above. Note the "WP" on the cufflink - that's a shout out to Wiley Price.



I understand that Cbabi's original painting is to be auctioned off this Thursday, August 28 at Afro World, 7276 Natural Bridge, with proceeds to benefit the Obama campaign. I'm not that sure of the details, but you can call Afro World at 314-381-5194 or email them at aworld [@] afroworld.com.