A native of Georgia, Pinkney (born 1934) moved to southern California after serving in the U.S. Air Force. He earned a B.A. at Woodbury College. A poet and sculptor as well as a painter, he has lived in the community of Compton for 20 years. In the early 1970s he was active at an innovative community arts school called Compton Communicative Arts Academy. During 1977 and 1978 the walls of Compton were his studio. Funded by a special grant from the California Arts Council, he completed eight murals. Their underlying themes were African-American pride and the importance of understanding between different cultures. All but three are gone. (Robin K. Dunitz, Street Gallery, Guide to over 1000 Los Angeles Murals)
