Tester

art/writing as a vehicle and
conduit for my activism. For
me (a mother of 21 years/a
mother of African American
men) the “urgency” is 24/7
and ongoing… For some, the
“urgency” is new or something
they are just waking up
to as it hits CNN.
How can the production of
creative work (written, visual,
or performative) play a role in
resisting or subverting oppressive
discourses regarding black
bodies? Ideally, what kind of
relationship would you like to
see between art and activism?
I am not sure art or performance
can stop oppression
or depression or suppression,
but I know for sure that talking
about the systemic oppression
of all people of color through
my work is imperative. It tends
to be the soundtrack of much
of my work. As a queer woman
of color there are a plethora of
topics I unearth for the sake of
social justice excavation and
I hope that much of my work
is detox for the racism, sexism,
classism—all the ism hang
overs people endure. I feel
very fortunate that art/writing
has become my protest walk
and I am grateful for my ancestors
who used art and writing
before me as a means of protest/detest/unrest.
One of your current projects is
a solo performance, 9 Ounces.
How did this project come
about? How does it connect to
or extend your prior work?
The characters in 9 Ounces
have been around for a long
time in various ways. Alice has
a been a character who has
written her story for the last
three to five years. Saraphina
is a combination of women I
knew growing up and women
I admire as an adult. Luna is a
more personal character who
is both a combination of girls
I know and I spirit I have encountered
since 2012. I woke
up one day and all the characters
said they needed more
than just paper to tell their individual
stories. As the writer
and vessel for their creativity
and marginalized voices… I
said YES.
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