#BlackLivesMatter & their voices do, too
The past two weeks have been a very difficult time for Black folx in America, and around the world. As we work and rise up together to create change -- in policy, in attitudes, in lives -- it's been truly beautiful to see thousands of people who have had enough. This is not just about George Floyd, or Breonna Taylor, or Ahmaud Arbery, or Trayvon Martin. It's not just about Eric Garner, Philando Castile, Sandra Bland, Tamir Rice, Tanisha Anderson, or Emmitt Till.
It is not even just about police violence towards Black people, or the entire American justice system designed to incarcerate and murder Black people.
It's about every single Black person who has been oppressed and abused by white supremacy in all its forms for over 400 years. It is about how members of the Black diaspora have suffered from anti-blackness in basically every culture around the world. It is about the Black folx who were enslaved, lynched, shot, murdered -- but also about the Black folx who are alive today. This is not just about Black trauma or suffering, this is about Black dreams, Black excellence, Black joy.
It is about creating a world where one day we will not have to yell and scream that Black lives matter. A world where we all acknowledge that Black lives are precious. Black trans lives. Black disabled lives. Black immigrant lives. Black women's lives. Black children's lives. Black neurodivergent lives. Afro Latinx lives. Black sex workers' lives. Black mothers' lives. Black fathers' lives. All. Black. Lives. -- All. Black. People. Period.
At In Full Color, our mission is to empower women of color through education and the arts. This has always included Black women of diverse identities and backgrounds, and we will continue amplifying and prioritizing Black voices. So far, 72 Black artists have shared their stories with us. But this is not enough. We are going to keep telling Black stories and celebrating Black artistry. We are going to keep creating paid opportunities for Black artists and entrepreneurs. We are going to lift up their voices so everyone can hear, and everyone can come a little closer to understanding.
Art is powerful because it creates empathy. And when you couple Authentic Representation with art -- when you allow people to tell their own stories in their own voices -- the empathy you can create can move mountains.
If you watch one video on the Internet today, please choose one of the Black stories below that we have had the honor of sharing with our audiences over the years. Watch as many of them as you can, or watch them all. (Please note all content will not be suitable for all ages.)
Before dawn, when you have a black, 18-year-old son
by Tuere T. S. Ganges, performed by Audrey Martells, In Full Color 2017
Three things I learned before becoming a woman
by Rukiya Bluford, In Full Color 2019
Ode to the Medusa in Me
by Stephanie Dinsae, In Full Color 2018
***WOMAN
by Glennifer Braker, In Full Color 2018
The Voice
by Phyllis Blanford Colleran, In Full Color 2019
Morenita, India, Dominicana (song)
by Ali de León, Bloom 2018
That One (Effed Up) Night (comedy set)
Kortlynn Jenae, part of our series That One Comedy Night
African Drum
by Yhá Mourhia Wright, In Full Color 2017
I Am Not Your Negro
by Venida Rodman Jenkins, Black History Month Celebration at New Jersey City University
Love Vet
by Cindy AnaCaona Peralta, In Full Color 2019
Rage and Ruins
by Dr. Jennifer Mullan, In Full Color 2018
That One (Honest) Night (comedy set)
by JJ Mattise, part of our series That One Comedy Night
Play Dead
by Clinnesha D. Sibley, performed by Judith Moss, TEDxJerseyCity 2016
originally performed in In Full Color 2016
Did you enjoy these videos? See more here!
If you want to help us continue sharing stories by Black women and other women of color, please click here to learn more about our annual fundraiser and make a tax-deductible donation. All excess funds will go towards Black Lives Matter.
