There is a justifiable dust-up in the comments on my guest post on WhipUp about one of the quilts shown in the post. I don’t disagree with the fundamental thrust of these comments.
Unfortunately, if one assumes what one assumes about quilters, then I agree that you’d be offended by seeing the n-word on a quilt. The work needs greater context than what is presented over there. Race and racism are hard to confront without the use of cotton. But maybe the context presented below can help?
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Yes, you’ll see the n-word if you scroll any further.
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I am a black woman who is confronted with this word daily. Growing up in the Deep South helped me to develop a thicker skin so that I don’t die inside every time I am called it, but I can’t deny the impact of the word on me. I made this quilt a year ago in protest of the general relative acceptance of the use of this word in my community here in the North. Powerless to speak out for many reasons, this quilt was my only outlet for self-expression at the time. And the relief the expression brought was much-needed even though I only showed the quilt to a select few.
No matter how I wrap myself in this quilt, the label cannot be covered. It is the way my community views me and others who look like me. And there is no way for me to avert my eyes. I cannot deny the existence of this word and the hateful intent in its use against me.
This is my reality.
Now. There are zillions of other questions one should ask about the language and about why it might be a little more okay if this quilt is made by a black woman.
ETA: *comments are closed.*
completely cauchy. 
It was interesting to hear the back story of this creation. Artists have such freedom to express themselves. I find that exciting and thought provoking. Kudos.
That’s what disturbs me – that the only way that expression can be valid is if it’s made by an African-American. I can’t pretend to truly understand the impact and power of that word, but I frankly don’t think that there should be any words that are off limits or that only certain people should be allowed to discuss. How can we have a conversation about what these words mean and why they’re so loaded if everyone can’t actually use them and talk about them? There’s an enormous difference between using the words in the way that gives them power and weight and impact and using the word to EXAMINE that impact. I think your bravery and creativity in confronting these concepts is amazing and inspiring. As always, I can’t wait to see where you go next.
(I posted this over in the comments on Whipup and I share here too…in part b/c of the crafty inspiration you’ve become for me! Thanks for all the words you use and how you use them. )
I appreciate who C is and how she uses fiber to express her personal and political outrage. If you are offended by the words, perhaps you understand just a little bit better the hurt that is felt when those words are used as weapons to demean and insult.
Instead of writing her off, maybe we should sit with the words for a while and use this as an excuse to think about something larger than the quilt that lays across the couch.
Maybe, just maybe there is a metaphor in here for how we cover people with hateful words every single day.
And, it’s just my humble opinion, but I think announcing that we are removing ourselves from the conversation b/c we are offended is just one more way of saying, “what a bitch.”
Love.
Ditto.
This. I couldn’t have said it better myself, not if I tried all day.
A relief that quilting can be taken to a level beyond Sunbonnet Sues. An examination of the reactions is a good thing IMHO, because it’s at least a beginning of a dialong. Ditto on the kudos.
hahahaaha sunbonnet sues :) such a good juxtaposition. and lovin this conversation and discussion.
Maybe it’s time for a new style of sunbonnet sue?
Man, I love seeing what you make and reading what you write. Thank you for being so honestly and unapologetically yourself. You are inspiring.
i had completely missed the whip up post the other day, but i’m glad that i saw this and went to read it. well, glad in a “i’m glad that we are all free to express ourselves and that you’re doing it in such a bold and graphically interesting and thought provoking way” way. i am less glad about the whole comment “situation” (for lack of a better word). i think that, as crafters and bloggers and as people, we tend to gravitate towards others with similar sensibilities and points of view. and i come to this discussion as someone who would never consider being offended by the f*ck blocks or anything else that i’ve seen here, which is worth noting as my opinion on this is certainly skewed by that. but when we stereotype quilters or crafters as a certain type of people, we do ourselves no good as a community. and that sense of community is one thing that i love the most about what i do. but community doesn’t mean that you only support people when they do the same thing that you would. the great and horrible conclusion i draw from this is that we want people to be able to express themselves, but only as long as we are comfortable with what they are expressing. and the irony of the fact that your expression in this case relates to the fact that you cannot escape from the N word, that you are in fact cloaked in it, and that people would find it inappropriate for you to express this graphically and artistically… this is bigger than i can seem to fit into words. in essence, your expression of a stereotype has somehow been used by people to further their own stereotype, when really i think that the lesson here is to stop and think about what that reaction means, how it would feel to have that blanket draped on your shoulders, to put yourself in the other person’s shoes. kudos to you for being honest in your work.
I applaud you for putting the quilt out there despite the heavy criticism. I think you’re doing a really awesome, amazing thing!
Thank you. I commented over there, too, in that I couldn’t (despite looking) find out more about the N quilt. It wasn’t clear to me, either, from the guest post that that quilt was yours, and not one that was sent to you (for that we can blame early Saturday morning before coffee blog reading, maybe). When I clicked over here initially, before this post was up, I couldn’t find out more about you from the “about” tab, nor was this quilt shown in your gallery, but from that I did realize that it was most likely yours, and that you’re an African American woman. All of this helps me with context, and I appreciate it, and I appreciate your willingness to further explain here, and I completely get this quilt now–as much as I can as a white American woman, that is. It is, in fact, about what I thought it was about, but without knowing, I couldn’t assume, and if it were the exact opposite, if it were a quilt by, say, a white man? I wouldn’t feel the same way. I do feel that taking back a word is extremely powerful. Having never had that word wielded at me, I wouldn’t feel it’s my right to try to interpret it in another way.
I think these are important conversations to have. I think handling things a little differently at Whip Up–warning regular readers that something completely different was coming up, and providing some context for that particular quilt–might have allowed some of that conversation to take place there as well. Again, thank you for elaborating here. Part of me says, Well, an artist speaks through her art, and further explanations shouldn’t be necessary. But in some cases, the explanation helps the art stand strong.
I find the phrase “as much as I can as a white American woman” interesting. I appreciate the context you said it in, and don’t disagree at all with your use of it as a way of expressing your own sense of limitation of experience. I’m just replying to you because you triggered my thinking. Because the phrase feels like it does express a strict boundary of limitation around the experiences that white American women have had and can comprehend. I am a white American woman who was raised in a lesbian home with a black parent. I am a white American woman who grew up in a black neighborhood, one of the only white children in my kindergarten class. I am a white American woman who was raised going to woman’s festivals, NOW meetings, Sweet Honey in the Rock concerts, and NAACP events. I grew up reading black authors and fighting (sometimes is scary situations) for social justice. I know that there is a everydayness about racism that I have not experienced as a white American woman, but I have experienced racism and hate directed toward my family, and as a vulnerable child, to me, and to people I loved. I don’t wear the quilt–the racial and sexual identity of my family background is invisible to people, but the hatred I observe still scares me everyday.
Yes, it’s a small phrase to express what I feel limited by. It’s more to represent what I can’t, through first-person experience, understand.
I love that craft can be so powerfully thought provoking.
What strikes me from reading the comments on the guest post is that lots of people seem unwilling to feel uncomfortable. Sure craft can be a lovely, soothing escape so I get how violated some might feel to have their peace invaded by one of the uglier pieces of our shared experience but what a missed opportunity! There’s a lot left to heal around issues of race relations and avoiding a loaded word is not a good start on that front. But to talk about our relationship to the word is very uncomfortable and some folks aren’t willing to go there, it’s too bad.
I remember another of your quilts, the oreo one. It struck me because I knew what you were talking about. It’s a word I used as a kid. As the word left my lips I thought I was being clever, funny, certainly not racist. And that’s something ugly of my past that I get to live with. If I had had any concept of what it would really be like to be on the receiving end, I wouldn’t have said it. I wasn’t malicious, I just didn’t understand. So to the person worried about what if their 6 year old had seen the post, I say: if someone had done the tough work of talking to me in a meaningful way about this stuff when I was 6 I probably wouldn’t have called my friend an oreo and that’s something we all could’ve lived without.
In my experience, the tough stuff usually pays off. And a life of just the pretty things is not much of a life. Here’s hoping that people get more comfortable with being uncomfortable since through that discomfort can come the understanding that we need to move forward and make more progress.
Thanks, C, for your openness and the opportunities you give us all through your sharing!
well said. i like especially the remark about people unwilling to be uncomfortable, which i think sums up a lot of the reason that people are hurtful to each other in the first place. because they don’t understand and it’s uncomfortable and easier to not try… and i think you’re right about the kids. i would be more than happy to have my 7yo see this and discuss it with her. i think that it is important for our children to understand the history and feelings behind this type of language. so that maybe down the road, they’ll be able to have that conversation.
Wow. Okay, people can be offended by what they want to be offended by. I’m not familiar with whip up myself, but it looks like a more family-crafty site so I’m sure your post sticks out like a big middle finger. But it seems like so many of the people made their decisions based only on the pictures and also seemed surprised at the content of the post. Um, what part of “Give a F*ck” made them think this was something like children’s pinafores? The first paragraph gives the reader everything you need to know if you actually READ it. “Reactions have been mixed and, surprisingly, the negative reactions are deeply personal even when the message is a positive affirmation.” is the sentence right above your nigger quilt. I’m so glad your post got everyone so riled up. I am always impressed with how many waves you can make with those two wonderful hands of yours! Thank you!
i am a social worker by trade. i will eventually get my masters degree and have for a long time thought about “using quilting/sewing/creating/crafting as a therapeutic tool” as my thesis. expressing your hurt and pain or happiness through textiles has always helped me and i often wonder how/if it would/could be helpful to others. i see that this is exactly what you have been doing. i am encouraged by your quest, fortified in the direction i will pursue when i get there. i think you are revolutionizing the quilting world C and i am so grateful that this is being put out there to help other people think and challenge their perceptions. that it is there shows us that there is so much more that we can do to help and heal ourselves and others. and seeing you wrapped in that quilt, powerful!
The context you give here, C, is beautiful and shows your strength. As a white woman from the North, I cannot understand what pain that this word causes feels like but know that it is deep. I support your art and your opening of this dialogue and do find it to be a bit unsettling that people are more ok with the usage of word from an African-American. Copting a word to change a meaning does happen and is a form of power, in its own right. But that is all part of the importance of dialogue around the power of words and their meanings. By discussing these varied meanings to different people and different communities, we can learn more about how words hurt, empower, weaken, and strengthen individuals and societal groups. We can also learn that we are all human and we are all the same.
Love and support you!! The cotton connection – a total aha for me. But you wrapped in that quilt is such a powerful and beautiful picture- so effin’ rad! You are such an inspiration and I thank you for it. xoxo
i totally get it. and i support you.
Of course I went directly to WhipUp before reading the rest of this post. I was expecting the “Fuck” quilts but the other was a surprise.
Why? Because I read you regularly and have never seen this one and because in today’s world that word still has a lot of power. I can remember vividly the first time I was called this word and it hurt worst than anything you can imagine. Contrary to the once popular nursery rhyme words can hurt you.
Growing up in the south I have been familiar with the “N-word” for far too long. My maternal grandmother used it quite regularly to refer to other “blacks” as we used to be called back then and my mother would chastise her for doing so. I guess we were fortunate that she lived in New York or it surely would have become a part of our vocabulary.
I have always been dissappointed with the African American appropriation of this word as a part of everyday language. Words have power and most of the people who I’ve heard use the “N-word” can’t even provide the correct definition of it. We need to be more socially conscious not only of the labels others apply to us but to those we apply to ourselves.
Perhaps it’s just me but when I saw “nigger” in white on a black quilt it brought back the pain of my childhood.
Perhaps you should create your own version of the quilt as she said above ” this quilt was my only outlet for self-expression at the time. And the relief the expression brought was much-needed “. There does not seem to be any disregarding of the fact that the word can bring pain at all, so even there you should not feel the need to say perhaps it is just you. If it were just you, I doubt the quilt would have been created at all. It seems like you missed out completely on the fact that the post almost mirrors your feelings exactly, perhaps a reread is in order.
I adore you and I love your work. Glad you created this post to help people understand the quilt and what it means to you. Very powerful quilt and message.
Ya know, I love you, C.
Love,
Bascom
Cheers C. Stay strong.
Yikes, some of those comments are seriously uncharitable and presumptuous about what your motives might have been and what you might know from experience!
Your commentary in this post reminded me of this sampler in the collection of the V&A. It can be healing to work out troubling stuff in whatever medium is available or appropriate (though I suppose it may not be legit to surmise that Elizabeth Parker felt any relief from her handwork). You are pretty brave for sharing your work and I’m sorry that you’ve met with such hostility that you need to justify your choice in public like this.
Damn, you’re fucking awesome. I don’t know how I hadn’t found your blog until now. I have been seeing and loving all the “fuck” quilt blocks on Flickr, the finished product is going to be sweet!! Keep up the emotionally stirring work, great art makes us FEEL, and feel deeply <3 <3 <3
Just wanted to say how much I love your work and the issues you raise. I find the picture of you wrapped in the quilt incredibly moving, a quilt is something we think of as expressing love and protection but here it wrapping a person in an derogatory label. I was suprised and somewhat intrigued by the comments on the whipup post, partly because I am British and live in England and happened to hear a radio interview with the Afro-Caribbean British writer, director and actor Kwame Kwei-Armah who has recently moved to Baltimore in which he commented that racism was much more ‘in your face’ in America. I can’t comment from my own experience since I am white. Do hope this experience won’t stop you producing such thoughtful, thought-provoking and orignial work and discussing issues so articulately.
Word!
Here’s what I commented on Whip-up: I fully agree [with not judging others’ intent]. Just because there are words or subjects you or I might not feel comfortable using doesn’t mean that we can or should dictate whether someone else IS comfortable using them, or has a valid reason for exploring them. What is offensive to one person might be cathartic to another, as is something inspirational to one person can be offensively proselytizing to another, and so on. So I don’t think any of us can set boundaries for anyone other than ourselves. There’s a language warning at the top of the post, so anyone sensitive to the power of words continues at his or her own risk. Kudos to C for expressing herself in a way that works for her.
Ms. C, you’ve got courage and I admire that. Keep up the good work, on all fronts.
One more reason why I am completely inspired by you. The ability you have C, to express yourself through words and your artistic expression keeps me in awe. You’re just beautiful.
I so wish we lived in a world where people would truly listen to others, without judgment, without trying to make their message something other than exactly what it is… self expression. Until then however, I’m feeling humbled and grateful for those that are courageous to speak, create and express honestly. Your bravery is beautiful, and so is your work.
For those of us who are white (as I am) to feel momentary discomfort at words that are at the core of racism is right and just. And our momentary discomfort is so very, very small compared to the pain that the people who are on the receiving end feel not just at the instance of the word’s use, but always. We *should* feel discomfort and it *should* linger and provoke deeper reflection on the societal issues embodied in the word. I am honored that you share these words, and the quilts they have inspired, with us, C. You inspire me in a multitude of ways.
Again, it breaks my heart that people look at you and see the n word. As women, we all have enough crosses to bear, without having to deal with racism as well. There are many curse words in my stable, but the n word will not ever be one of them, because I will never be that pathetic and hateful, no matter what anyone says or does to me. I raised my kids to know there will never be a reason to say it to someone, not even in a joke. That being said, it is important that people be provoked to discuss the feelings this word evokes, thus removing some of its power to hurt and maybe promoting some healing for those at which it was aimed. I do understand it is easy to make a snap judgment when a post like this appears (as it did on whip up) without some context to help explain its purpose. Good on you for being true to yourself and finding a way to have your voice heard through your art and blog. I feel proud to ‘know’ you through your blog posts.
C, I really love this work that you’re doing. It challenges the viewer in a way that only truly good art can, and it makes us look into our own hearts and minds. This kind of self-examination is almost always uncomfortable, and I think the comments reflect just how much power your work has. I’m going to talk to my students about this, you can bet. You rock.
Am proud of my flickr sister! The response to the whip up post made me uncomfortable – being offended and wanting the word to go away is a polite way to ignore the bigger truth.
“Now. There are zillions of other questions one should ask about the language and about why it might be a little more okay if this quilt is made by a black woman.”
One of the comments explicitly tried to direct the conversation this way, and that made me uncomfortable too. It’s not about the word or who uses it, is it? Miles to go before…
If nigger is such a racist word,why do African American men greet each other with that same word as in How are you nigger? I like what you do now that I understand the story behind your work.
Also admire you neat a and exact letters!Elizabeth
I find it hypocritical of black Americans continuing to champion the use of this word amongst themselves, yet demand white Americans never use it. Furthermore, that you’ve chosen to immortalize it in a quilt and wrap yourself in it, as if it’s some ‘statement’ or ‘art’, is sad to me.
Your explanation is nothing more than to make white folk feel some sort of sympathy for you and to make them feel okay about thinking your ‘art’ is great.
You’ve done nothing more than to continue its use, something many have been trying to eradicate for decades.
Furthermore, I find this as an attempt to gain attention for website traffic. Too bad it’s for something lacking vision and integrity.
I guess you got your wish.
Harper, this comment is so much more offensive than C’s quilt and statement. I suppose you avoid all art that uses this word? For instance, Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird? A beloved book many read in middle school, and which contains this word ad infinitum, and was written by a white woman? In the point of view of a white narrator? Which chronicles the efforts of an honorable white man (a white knight!) to “save” a poor black man? I don’t know your ethnicity, but I’m going to venture to say that if you’re white, you need to step off of raking a black woman across the coals for taking something that was meant to hurt her and incorporating it into her crafting.