A few mornings ago, my 16-year-old daughter said, “Mama, everything I love is under attack.” “What do you mean?” I asked. Her response, “They’re killing journalists and black people?” She is an aspiring journalist blessed with cocoa brown skin and naturally wonderful, curly kinks. Weeks before her pronouncement, Saudi Arabia was accused of covering up the murder of a journalist, President Trump praised a person for attacking a reporter, and a hate-filled man mailed pipe bombs to a national news outlet. Days before, an innocent African-American man and woman were gunned down in cold blood by a white man while shopping at Kroger in Louisville, KY, our hometown. She is correct. Her greatest loves - her people and the truth - are under attack. How does a mother pour into her child the strength to resist and rise when something is coming at her daily to destroy her? A mother rooted in the wisdom of the ancients knows she can’t do it alone. She must surround her baby with an army of protectors. For my daughter, that line of defense is held by a multitude of warrior women. These are the same sisters who hold me up when I am weak. They encourage me to fight when I’m at the verge of limping away in defeat. They will me to stand and drag myself through the struggle. When my strength is not enough, they grab me and pull me through. I have sisters of all shades, races, ages, and beliefs. Each of them has a significant role in maintaining the battle, but I relate best to my African-American warrior queens. Ms. Mae Annette Turner, Director of Multicultural Ministry for the Archdiocese of Louisville, was one of my mentors in high school. She taught me the importance of surrounding myself with strong, dignified images of members of the African diaspora. Ms. Turner introduced me to art representing people who looked like me. She encouraged me for the rest of my life to surround myself and future children with art that reflected our unique experience. My personal artwork is rooted in her lesson. How does this help my daughter who knows the things she loves are under attack? My art is an outspoken banner proclaiming victory over generations of evil that have failed to destroy mahogany bodies and ebony spirits. The Art of Goodwill Artist in Residence is allowing me to create a new series, Crowns: Royalty and Resilience, as a tribute to the generations of African-American women who have confronted multiple forms of oppression. My daughter and I are working together to proclaim the truth of our inherent royalty and resilience with the power of our creativity.
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AuthorRamona Dallum Lindsey is an artist, speaker and curious citizen who finds strength in the wisdom of her elders. Archives
February 2019
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