Racial tensions continue to escalate in the United States, with the digital artwork titled "I Can't Breathe" approaching a price of nearly $2,000.

An incident in which an African American man was subdued to death by white police officers in the United States has sparked protests and riots across the country. A self-taught Nigerian digital and crypto artist sold his latest digital artwork "I Can't Breathe" on the blockchain art social platform SuperRare for the price of 7 ETH on May 31.

I Can’t Breathe

On May 25th local time, four police officers in Minnesota arrested a black man suspected of using counterfeit money. One of the white police officers pressed the man to the ground and knelt on his neck for five minutes while the man pleaded, "I can't breathe, please, I can't breathe." Even bystanders begged for mercy, but the police remained unmoved until the man stopped breathing, with the officer's knee still on his neck.

This incident ignited the long-standing sensitive issue of racial discrimination in the United States, with prominent figures such as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, LeBron James, and Stephen Curry openly condemning the misconduct of the white police officers.

Furthermore, this incident has sparked protests in major cities across the United States, leading to curfews being imposed in 25 cities across 16 states.

Digital Artwork Sold for $1,700

A digital and crypto artist from Nigeria, Osinachi, created a digital collectible based on this incident on the Ethereum blockchain. The artwork is stored on Ethereum in the form of an ERC-721 token. ERC-721, also known as Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), is often used for digital collectibles or virtual in-game assets.

The digital artwork "I Can’t Breathe" by Osinachi was sold at an auction for 7 ETH (equivalent to $1,703 at the time) in less than six hours. According to the artist, a portion of the proceeds from the sale will support human rights movements addressing racial issues in the United States. There is currently a bid for 8 ETH (valued at $1,908.8 at the time of writing) in hopes of acquiring this collectible from the new owner.

Mark Zuckerberg Donates One Billion Dollars

This incident has once again brought to the surface the deep-seated racial issues in the United States, a country that prides itself on democracy and freedom. In an effort to reform these longstanding social issues, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg recently pledged to donate one billion dollars to civil rights organizations dedicated to addressing inequality:

“Organizations that are fighting for justice also need funding, so Facebook is committing an additional $1 billion to support groups working on racial justice. We're working with our civil rights advisors and our employees to identify local and national organizations that can most effectively use this funding.”