Confederate Correction:
Reflecting on the how the legacy of the Confederacy can be framed.November 2022
Following a breakup and subsequent mental health emergency I fled to Virginia to be with my eldest sister. I'd recently left a job at an arts organization, a move that allowed for the freedom of movement to stay as long as I needed.
I didn't have any goals or even an idea of what I could be doing while there. I only wished to be as far from my apartment as possible. I needed to just exist and not feel a danger to myself.
I spent some time just sitting around, watching television. After few days, I began working on revamping my website, attempting to make a site that incorporated all the mediums I utilize.
I brought my camera equipment and at some point invited my sister to participate in a series titled Stories Within City Limits. She was the first family member that I felt comfortable asking. I really appreciated the story and experiences she shared and how vulnerable she allowed herself to be.
After a while, and while we were out, I began to understand that I was still very much in The South. I reflected upon the notion that it was possible that some folks had great difficulty in realizing that some losses should initiate a period of growth coinciding with an air of humility.
I had not always learned from my failings, the failure to do so, oftentimes triggering reiterations of similar acts in the absence of moments of clarity and reflection. I wondered about the existential crises that lie in wait for folks that have yet to be faced with the task of breaking through generations of unresolved error.
I wanted to ask, how many times would I need to see the same message before I understood the words therein, and that they were meant for me specifically? How many ways would I need to hear the same thing before I understood what was clearly spoken?
I made these graphics nearly five years ago. Recently, I saw an actor wearing a similar message on a t-shirt. It felt cool to see the sentiment. I wanted to make them first, but I also did not wish to become a target.