http://wpr.org/news/display_headline_story.cfm?storyid=27543Friday November 25, 2011 by Patty Murray
(APPLETON) One of the year's most iconic images may be the blue fist in the shape of Wisconsin. It was commissioned by the state chapter of the AFL-CIO and is the work of an Appleton native.
During this spring's protests and occupation of the State Capitol protestors carried red signs with a blue fist-shaped Wisconsin with the right palm facing out, the thumb representing Door County and the knuckles roughly shaping the Upper Michigan border and Lake Superior shoreline.
Graphic artist Carrie Worthen grew up in Appleton and graduated from UW- Milwaukee. She now lives and works in Los Angeles but kept in touch with members of the AFL-CIO. In February, the union group asked her to take the germ of the fist idea and make it stand out, "To me it needed to be bold and clear and loud and simple."
Worthen says it's been overwhelming to see thousands of people use her design to protest the policies of Gov. Scott Walker and Republicans in the state legislature.
She says the fist has long been used by labor and civil rights activists. She expects it to be used in the effort to recall Walker, and says similar designs are being adopted by the "occupy" movement, "The slogan that we used, 'Stand with Wisconsin' it was this sort of call to the nation to stand up along with Wisconsin and I think it's great that everybody finally is with this occupy stuff and you're seeing fists everywhere. And I think that's great because it means that standing up and fighting injustice is mainstream."
Worthen says she was not paid for her work on the blue fist design.
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