In Mourning is a multimedia project that expresses the constant of grieving.
These pieces are free for Black people.
Several years ago I was doing research for a project when I happened upon photos taken at Ohio University on the National Day of Mourning for MLK on April 7th, 1968. What struck me about the photos were the students wearing strips of paper pinned to themselves that read IN MOURNING. I looked at the photos for a while, thinking about what it means to publicly display your grief, and how liberating that act could be.
IN MOURNING is a project that places our grief upfront and center through text worn on a shirt. It is a project that displays having to wake up and carry on. As we mourn the lives of people we do not know but who look just like us. As our heart aches and our bodies feel weary. As we carry the loss of loved ones, the loss of life, the loss of dreams fallen by the wayside.
This work, like my other public art projects, intends to visually amplifiy the experiences that we often suffer in silence. It is an experiment in a way, as I wonder what it would be like to display your own grief, or to acknowledge someone else’s grief, without either person saying a word.
Grief is a universal human experience and while these pieces are available to anyone, they are free for Black people. Especially for queer folks. Especially for trans folks.
These pieces are free for Black people.
The first batch of shirts were hand printed by myself and my mama in Oklahoma City. My mother has had her own silk-screening small business for the past 30 years.
Donating to this project will cover the costs for production, materials, labor, and shipping. DONATE HERE.
To recieve a free shirt or pin, fill out the form below.
Note:
This is currently a one-woman operation. Shirts might take a few weeks to receive after you place an order.
