During the “Where We Have Been and Where We Hope To Be” workshop with Liberty Worth, we explored the concept of oppression.
Questions arose:
Am I an oppressor?
Were my ancestors?
At the top, surrounding the white “stampers”, I used US state tartans from the states that my family lives in. (Tartans to reference my Scottish heritage.)
The white areas signify the heavy pushing down of white oppression/suppression.
At the bottom are triangles of textiles from the 18 African nations involved with the American slave trade. The black arrows signify their effort to rise up.
Months later, I realized that if the quilt is flipped 180º, the Africans have indeed risen and are honored on pedestals.
Is it possible to flip our own perceptions?
- Anne Bray