"Ironic" in ASWR - coming April 2015

"And Still We Rise: Race, Culture and Visual Conversations" by Dr. Carolyn L. Mazloomi will be published by Schiffer Books in April 2015.  I'm delighted that Dr. Mazloomi asked me to contribute to this exciting work with a fiber art piece that reflects a volatile, yet important time in our history: The Civil Rights era. In June 1964 near Philadelphia, Mississippi,  the murders of James Chaney, a 21-year-old black man from nearby Meridian, Mississippi; Andrew Goodman, a 20-year-old white Jewish anthropology student from New York; and Michael Schwerner, a 24-year-old white Jewish CORE organizer and former social worker also from New York, demonstrated the dangers faced by civil rights workers in the South, especially during what became known as "Freedom Summer", dedicated to voter education and registration.

The Ku Klux Klan’s hate filled murders of these three heroic young men was vile. It profoundly illustrated the extent that racists cowards went to try to marginalize African-Americans of that era.  

In the summer of 1964, Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner paid the ultimate sacrifice to help others exercise their civil right to vote.  My quilt contribution is a tribute to these civil rights icons. I find it ironic that almost 50 years later we're now facing a new phenomenon with our civil liberties now being threaten again via the voter suppression movement of minority voters and attempted gerrymandering efforts in several states.  My quilt contribution in Dr. Mazloomi's latest work is featured just above.  It's called "Ironic".  If you would like to pre-order this wonderful book, you can do so at www.schifferbooks.com.