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Week 11: Beyond the Beat: The True Face of Respectability Politics
The Labor Pains project delves into the often-invisible costs borne by Black women navigating systems built on racial inequality. This week, I’ve been exploring the concept of respectability politics and how it disproportionately impacts…
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Week 10: Making the Invisible Visible
As a researcher and an advocate, I’m constantly seeking ways to truly understand and amplify the lived experiences that often go unseen. Recently, I’ve been diving deep into the world of body mapping, a…
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What is a Body Map? (And why am I using them for Labor Pains)
Body Mapping is an underutilized method for healing. As my creative approach takes on a more intentional lean toward the development of creative social practices that heal communities, I am finding more and more…
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Week 9: Healing Loudly
We’ve been going through it y’all. There are very few groups that feel good about life in America right now. Women, veterans, artists, historians, journalists, financial analysts, LGBTQIA+, teachers, Palestinians, the entire African Diaspora,…
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Week 8: PARTNERS!
We’ve reached the first major benchmark this week! Workshop locations and performance sites have been confirmed!! Other activities are popping up around this project, and my calendar is getting more ink, March Madness has…
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Week 7: Oh, America
It’s been another wonderful week in the U.S.
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Week 6: Rape & Rage (A Black Girl Story)
Today, I encountered the work of Herbert Apthekar. While I did not meet the man himself—he passed away in 2003, long before I was acquainted with his scholarship—I engaged with his seminal text, American…
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Week 5: Labor Pains – The Legacy of Unseen Labor
My project, Labor Pains, explores the always present labor of Black women – labor that has historically, and continues to benefit society while remaining undervalued and often unseen. This isn’t just history; it’s a…
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Week 4: Lent
Lent is upon us—a season marked by reflection, sacrifice, and an annual journey of voluntary suffering. Ash Wednesday signals the start of this solemn time, as Christians prepare their hearts and minds for Easter.…
Labor Pains Project
An oral history through somatic body-mapping archival project examining the paid and unpaid labor experiences of Black women.
