Art inspired by my work
art inspired my work
HISTORIAN • AUTHOR • SCHOLAR
The Washing Society (Trailer)
a film by Lizzie Olesker and Lynne Sachs
Inspired by my research, THE WASHING SOCIETY investigates the intersection of history, underpaid work, immigration, and the sheer math of doing laundry. Drawing on each other’s artistic practices, Sachs and Olesker present a stark yet poetic vision of those whose working lives often go unrecognized, turning a lens onto their hidden stories, which are often overlooked.
The Clothesline Muse
a play by Nnenna Freelon, Maya Freelon Asante, and Dr. Kariamu Welsh
Imagine a multimedia combination of music, theater, dance, and visual art highlighting the joys and the struggles that African American women as workers, mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, and friends have endured throughout time communing around clotheslines. My work on the history of laundresses and the Atlanta washerwomen’s strike literally take the stage in this creative production , THE CLOTHESLINE MUSE by Nnenna Freelon (Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist), Maya Freelon Asante (visual artist), and Dr. Kariamu Welsh (choreographer).
"Newark High Schools Read History” program
These video clips was recorded for the “Newark High Schools Read History” program, sponsored by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. The talk was to prepare them for reading To ‘Joy My Freedom. After they had a chance to read the book with their teachers over a couple of months, we reconvened again to discuss.