Freedom Ride, 2023
Paper Collage on Bristol Paper
12 in x 16 in (30.48 cm x 40.64 cm)
"They had all the local school buses down there and was filling them up...we thought it was a big party....and we were just dancing and singing Freedom! We want our freedom! I'm not all sure, I know I didn't have no concept of what freedom was. What I did know is that I didn't want to be treated the way the white folks were treatin us, anything other than that got to be freedom." -Victor Blackledge
My grandparents' stories of courage, resilience, and activism has resonated strongly with me and how I live in this world and I wanted to keep their stories alive through my own work. This is a part of a series of collages that visually symbolize the quotes that strongly resonated most with me. I explore storytelling of my grandparents through the manipulation of magazines, newspapers, maps, archival images and any other paper products I can get my hands on.