Always Remember Freedom

6′ 4″
Soil, foraged flora from Illinois, raw cotton and cotton calyx, metal chain, ink, and photographic collage elements

Always Remember Freedom is an assemblage piece and personal declaration that freedom is my birthright. The grounded figure, with roots extending from my feet into the earth, embodies ancestral power and liberation. Hair made of raw cotton and cotton calyx from a fifth-generation Black farmer symbolizes my great-great-grandfather’s escape from slavery—a reminder to do whatever it takes to be free.

The 3D masked face reflects the complexity of seeking freedom in a world that denies it, and the need for ancestral protection. Mirrored eyes ask the viewer to reflect on our shared humanity and inherent freedom. A chained shadow figure beneath me represents the part of myself that forgets freedom.

Plants on my torso symbolize the vitality freedom brings. Circles on my legs mark pivotal life moments that affirmed freedom as the core of my authentic self. A mantra on the right, written in Pan-African colors—red for blood shed, black for the people, and green for the land—reaffirms the legacy of Black freedom.

Flora on the left from Illinois’ Moraine Hills connects me to nature’s healing power and restores my remembrance of freedom.