Carolyn Mims Lawrence (born 1940) is an American visual artist and teacher, known for her role in the Chicago Black Arts Movement.
She earned a BFA from the University of Texas at Austin and a master's degree in 1968 from the Illinois Institute of Technology with a thesis entitled "Teaching Afro-American Culture through the Visual Arts".
[1] In 1967, Lawrence joined OBAC (Organization of Black American Culture) to create the Wall of Respect, a mural composed of portraits of African-American heroes located on the South Side of Chicago.
Lawrence collaborated with muralist William Walker to paint the section of the wall honoring Black Muslims.
[3] AfriCOBRA brought together artists in a variety of media to create a functional art that expressed a vision of the past, present, and future of the Black community and promoted education and political action.