This series came about as a reflection on the ways the Black culture in America has influenced me personally and directly.
In the era of Black Lives Matter, we must begin to truly do the work of dismantling White Supremacy in our systems and in our thoughts. One of the ways of breaking down that oppressive system is by exposing the fallacy therein created that Black culture does not contribute to the canons of aesthetics, of thought, of beauty.
Alvin Ailey, the world famous choreographer, said,
“The cultural heritage of the [Black American] is one of America’s richest treasures. From his roots as a slave, [he]—sometimes sorrowing, sometimes jubilant but always hopeful—has touched, illuminated, and influenced the most preserves of world civilization. I and my dance theater celebrate this trembling beauty.”
Here is a series of artists and figures that prove that trembling beauty.
Okorie Johnson Martha Jane Pettway Angela Davis Mestre Pastinha Alvin Ailey Kamau Brathwaite Emmett Till Ahmaud Arbery Marsha P. Johnson Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie