FAQ

I began my career in education in 1969 as a history teacher so I am always interested in how we represent or do not fully represent historical truths. I recall learning about the work of Ida B. Wells Barnett to uncover lynchings. I have read James Baldwin through my life and took to heart is admonition -- Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced. I encountered Ken Gonzales-Day’s book, Lynching in the Wes, and used the data and the book as a foundation for an arts project for students I had in an MA program for school leaders at UC Berkeley. As I thought about the power of art to represent history, I encountered the quilts of Faith Ringgold whose work gave me permission to write on fabric. I started the project seriously in 2015 and expect to finish in 2027. As a white woman in America, I feel that we have much repair work to do in our relationships with our fellow citizens. The quilt project is a small way to offer reparations by opening up our minds and hearts to truth in our history. The quilt project is dedicated to my African American daughter, Ayanna Lee Blue, and her son, Zuri Miles Blue, and to their ancestors who suffered unspeakable degradation.

Trees have been a fascination of mine since my youth on a Nebraska farm– where the few trees are planted shelterbelts to protect the land from the wind. I walked in those shelterbelts, Identified trees, and collected and organized leaves for science projects. I have drawn trees and leaves my entire life. In this project, I am offering the tree as a symbol of possibility, much like James Cone in his book about the cross and the lynching tree. Because the lynching data are typically organized by state, using the state tree as an organizing symbol– a leaf, pine needle, or palm frond for each person reported as lynched – offers a way represent the data in an accessible, regenerative, and yet beautiful form. As a representation of the terror of lynching through reclaiming the spirits of those lynched, I see this project as offering possibility in the midst of horror – not, of course, to gloss over the loss and the suffering but rather to provide a moment of redemption and remembrance.

Lynching data are available from a variety of sources (see reference list). Years ago, I started with Ginzberg’s book, and, more recently, the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) used (Tolney & Beck) for the Montgomery Alabama project and museum. Older sources included The Red Record (Ida B. Wells) and NAACP (National Association of the Advancement of Colored People) count of lynching. Multiple historians have documented the lynchings nationally and in states. Those are listed in the reference list. The numbers of persons who were lynched in each state determine the number of quilts for each state. For example, because Mississippi has close to 900 persons lynched in the state, I constructed three quilts for Mississippi – two with magnolia leaves for the identified persons and one for the unknown persons. On the back of the quilt for unknown persons, I use the state map and designate the number of persons in each county who were lynched. Other states, like Maryland, have under 50 persons; a single quilt for Maryland includes the known and unknown names and the map on the quilt back.

The quest for historical accuracy I leave to the historians. Because lynching is a part of the systemic oppression on which this country was founded and vigilantism was prevalent throughout our collective history – from slavecatchers to extralegal activities in every single state – complete accuracy is nearly impossible. Lynching is associated with hanging from a tree; however, many perpetrators of lynching used other methods. Indeed, lynching began with catching and murdering horse thieves who were often white. Thus, I did my best from multiple database sources to develop spreadsheets with names and dates of the lynching episodes. I used those to count numbers and decide on numbers of leaves, pine needles or palm fronds for the quilts.

As I write the names on the back of each quilt (number of names = number of leaves on the front), I say the names aloud. I often think about how each person was on this earth just like I am, and I want to give each person the honor and respect they deserve. Because they were subjected to heinous methods of hate, anger, distrust, and/or racism, I feel a responsibility to honor their memories. For me, this process is a long prayer to ancestors we will not know, but who are a part of our history and memory. A quote that I turn to often -- We know ourselves as social selves. Parents and children. Members of a people. Inheritors of a history and culture that we must nurture through memory and hope. Bellah et al., 1983 Habits of the Heart

I have gathered fabric from multiple sources; typically, some African fabric or object is on each quilt. Since I have never been particularly good at cutting out patterns, I use a process I call “building fabric”; I piece together a background (occasionally I use just one piece of fabric) and then appliqué other fabric pieces, including the leaves. Often, I used machine embroidery or stitching to secure the leaves. Sometimes, I embroider smaller pieces and then piece those together. On some quilts, I use pens, crayons, or oil pastels use machine quilting techniques for completing the quilt. I use a micron pen with archival ink to put the names on the reverse side.

I would like to donate the entire collection to a museum that would agree to preserve and show all or parts of the collection. This has been a project of redemption and respect, and I am not selling any quilt. The total number is expected to be 60 quilts, and they vary in size. Because of the names on the reverse side of the quilts, showing the quilts requires that viewers see the front and back of each quilt.

Find out what your state is doing to support the work of remembering and honoring the victims of lynching. Contact Equal Justice Initiative for their work in soil collection and memorials. If you have any influence over curriculum in schools, this topic is critical for our collective understanding of history. Contact me if you want to show the state quilt at an event in your state.