The Lynch Quilts Project:
In Search of Laura Nelson
Help me make an awesome road trip to Oklahoma to connect an awesome project to a diverse group of community activists and create avenues of racial healing.
Greetings All:
My name is LaShawnda Crowe Storm and I am an artist, community activist and educator. A fabulous opportunity landed in my lap a few days ago and I need your help to make this dream a reality and perhaps the chance change the world as we know it.
I have the opportunity to present my series The Lynch Quilts Project at the 2012 John Hope Franklin National Symposium, a conference focusing on racial healing in America. This year's Symposium (May 31-June1, 2012) focuses on The Politics of Reconciliation and I will speak on the panel Art as a Vehicle for Dialogue, Social Change and Healing.
This is a wonderful opportunity to not only connect The Lynch Quilts Project to a diverse group of community activists and organizations focused on racial healing, social justice and conflict transformation, but to also show how the arts are a vital catalyst to generate dialogue and healing in our communities.
So, what is The Lynch Quilts Project?
So, you are probably wondering, "What is The Lynch Quilts Project and why is it important?" Started in 2003, The Lynch Quilts Project (LQP) is a community-based effort that explores the history and ramifications of racial violence, specifically lynching, in the United States through the textile tradition of quilting. This project consists of a series of six quilts examining the lynching phenomenon from various perspectives including, but not limited to, collective memory, communal conflict, gender, healing and politics. The quilts combine a variety of traditional and contemporary quilting techniques to explore how the past, present and future are intricately connected.
From the beginning, this project was grounded in the communal experience. In an effort to bring as many people to the table in this discussion about race and lynching, I sent out a nationwide request for fabric contributions through a letter writing campaign to a variety of art, community and activist organizations, as well as web-based outlets such as list serves, blogs and discussion forums. Fabric contributions have included wedding dresses, baby bibs, prom dresses, material taken from altars, handmade and hand dyed material, old quilted pieces and the literal shirt off someone’s back, all of which are used in the construction of the quilts in this series.
The first quilt in the series, Her Name Was Laura Nelson, was completed in 2004 and since its debut has been exhibited in a variety of venues with diverse populations. At each showing viewers have the opportunity to record their stories and opinions concerning issues of ethnic conflict in a project journal and contribute a piece of fabric to the project. To date, dozens of stories and more than 150 lbs. of fabric donations have been collected.
Why Attending the Symposium is Important
In my creative practice, I seek to do more than simply point to these issues impacting our society, but create avenues for those necessary, but difficult, community dialogues and interactions, which lay at the foundation for change. In order to do this, it is important that art move in to areas beyond the creative realm and connect to the wider community. In my case, that means presenting about the project in community and alternative spaces, as well as traditional venues. It means connecting with those organizations that focus on issues of social justice, racial justice and healing, conflict transformation, etc.
As such, attending the symposium is important for two primary reasons.
1. Community Connections
2. Searching for Laura NelsonCommunity Connections
At present, I am working with volunteers from across the country to complete the remaining 5 quilts in this series, of which 3 will be completed within the next 9-12 months. Once these are completed, the goal is to create a traveling exhibition that connects with the surrounding community at each venue, offering more than just art, but a series of public discussions and workshops on these issues associated with racial reconciliation, human rights and social justice explored in The Lynch Project. Presenting LQP at this symposium will do more than connect it to the larger national dialogues on race and racial healing, but most importantly introduce the project to a diverse group of community activists, who will then help in connecting the exhibition with local communities and resources nationwide. This connection is vital in order to tailor the exhibition to each community which will serve as the support system to develop locally focused workshops and public discussions.
Let's be honest.
The lynching and race discussion is hard. Period. As such, having a support network to help the conversation remain civil is the only path towards anything close to the crucial and much needed dialogue. The connections made here will be the pool of resources to help make this a reality.
Volunteers working on Her Name was Laura Nelson at the Chicago Historical Society 2004.
Searching for Laura Nelson
The story of The Lynch Quilts Project begins with the tragic death of Laura Nelson and her son L.D. (14-16 years old) on May 25, 1911 in Okemah, OK. As such, by attending this conference it gives me the opportunity to travel to Okemah, which lies approximately an hour south of Tulsa, OK and document in film and video this place where the tragedy occurred.
For me, this is a cathartic moment as I am able to go to the source of where so much of my inspiration and energy has been dedicated for the past 10 years and in doing so document the journey, which may in some respect help to heal this history. . . if only a little.
Photograph of Laura and L.D. Nelson's lynching taken on May 25, 1911 in Okemah, OK. These photographs were typically turned into souvenir postcards available for sale to the general public at locations such as the local pharmacy or general store.
The Impact
Given the recent national outcry concerning the murder of young Trayvon Martin in Florida, I think we can all agree that work like The Lynch Quilts Project is VITAL to creating an atmosphere where these difficult, but necessary dialogues concerning America's racial past and present can occur.
It is only when we begin to educate ourselves and combat this form of ignorance will we have the necessary skills to transform pain into power and in the process remake America into a more tolerant and conscientious society.
Folks, this isn't easy and it takes all forms of stakeholders in our society to make change happen. Help me to help others see the vital role the arts and
creative industries play in this form of community dialogue, healing and transformation.
What We Need & WhyI need help getting to The John Hope Franklin National Symposium in Tulsa, OK. I will also use this trip to visit and document my journey in photos and video to Okemah, OK, which lies about an hour south of Tulsa, OK. This is the site where Laura Nelson and her son L.D. (14-16 yrs. old) tragically died on May 25, 1911.
This trip to Okemah is to understand the landscape, the environment, history and how this place has changed, evolved or remained the same since this tragic event. We will also make community connections to lay the groundwork for creating some form of grave marker and/or memorial for Laura and L.D. Unfortunately, after their murder their bodies were never claimed and both were buried in an unmarked grave. Perhaps by honoring them in the place they lived and died we can bring about some form of healing not only to these individuals, but their town and this history in general.
Initially, I need $1800 to get to the Symposium and present my work, as well as visit Okemah, OK. This portion of the funding with cover travel expenses (car rental and fuel), hotels, per diem, conference fees, printing, and any unexpected incidentals (i.e. inflamed gas prices). Any funding raised beyond $1800 will be used to fund the costs of a marker/memorial stone, which can range in price from as little as $900 to upwards of $3000. Any funding raised beyond $3500 will go towards the upcoming traveling exhibition of The Lynch Quilts Project, which is slated to begin approximately late 2013-early 2014.
Other Ways You Can Help
So, it's in your hands. If you're checking out this page we urge you to donate, even if it's just a little. We NEED everyone to share the campaign with as many people as they can. Tell your friends, post it in your Facebook, Twitter or website. If you think you can help in other ways, the please don't hesitate to get in touch ASAP!
In addition, educate yourself about the history of lynching in the United States and how this form of racial terror has moved forward in time and continues to impact the contemporary fabric of our society. For example, have you ever wondered why so many African American families fled the Deep South during the early part of the 20th century to live in northern cities? And what does that Great Migration to cities now mean, when these once safe havens have now become riddled with bad schools, violence and lack of economic opportunities?
Additional Resources
These resources will provide additional information on The Lynch Quilts Project, Laura Nelson, the National Symposium and community healing.
John Hope Franklin Center for Reconciliation
