We Speak

A 35mm Slide Installation
Old Oakland Cemetary, Atlanta, Georgia

I remember (remember) the war between the states...
my parents one from the South, one from the North
Am I a returning Daughter of the South ?
I remember
the long drive from the North to the South
Grandma Johnson, North Carolina
Yes Ma'am
the war continued
We Create Beauty (We are art)
We build ( families, civilizations, worlds)
We fight back ( and change the world)
my parents crossed the regional line and married
for love
my father never came back to the South to live again ( never)
Grandma's heart was broken (forever)
We are mothers ( we raise the world's children)
We remember
We are memory
I will never forget
those who came before me
and the brothers and sisters who struggle
with homelessness, with hopelessness,
with breast cancer, with AIDS
in the name of those without a voice (who remain unheard)
I offer this piece (peace) to heal the pain
I humbly submit this work to the ancestors ( for eternity)
In memory of Danitra Vance and Kenneth Dixon

WE ARE AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN
AFRICAN PEOPLE
WE BELONG TOGETHER
EVERYWHERE

July, 1995

Stephanie Anne Johnson