Quilts and the rhetoric of Black resistance and joy
Quilts and the rhetoric of Black resistance and joy

Summary/Abstract: Originally sewed as bed covers and home decorations in the residences of white owners, African American quilts were marked with deep cultural and political meanings once Black enslaved women got involved in producing them for their own use. Quilts became transmitters of cultural values, and thus became part of a Black female artistic tradition cultivated until now. This tradition is inexplicably linked to the rhetoric of resistance and resilience. Although quilt-making is usually defined as a slave art form, its power of political protest cannot be undermined in modern times when it is being revived in Black communities facing racial obstacles. Quilts acknowledge Black trauma while accentuating Black joy. The article analyzes a range of visual and verbal rhetorical strategies employed by artists in selected quilts made for the Minneapolis quilt project We Are The Story (https://textilecentermn.org/wearethestory/), which emerged in response to tragic deaths of many Blacks caused by the police. The article will assess the effectiveness of quilts as political tools in the continuing Black struggle.

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