Audio Stop 968

NARRATOR:
Faith Ringgold was born and raised in Harlem and began her painting career in the 1950s. By the 60s she was openly embracing political issues in her art: the Civil Rights Movement, the Women’s Movement, prison abolition, and, underlying it all, racism.

Drawing inspiration from multiple sources, including her mother who was a popular clothing designer in Harlem, Ringgold began using textiles in her artistic practice, creating so-called “soft sculptures” and quilts. In 1983 she created this story quilt, entitled Who’s Afraid of Aunt Jemima. Faith Ringgold and her daughter, writer Michele Wallace, recently spoke about this work.

FAITH RINGGOLD:
I started making quilts because I can write words on here telling my story. Nobody can keep me from telling my story. I have that freedom and I will take it on the art.

I used to love to listen to my mother and her friends talk. Everybody told stories. All of these stories come from my childhood. I liked writing stories to go along with my paintings.

Stereotypes were very demoralizing.

NARRATOR:
In this quilt, Ringgold addresses the stereotype evoked by Aunt Jemima.

MICHELE WALLACE:
They considered Aunt Jemima like a mammy figure. An older woman running the kitchen on the plantation. And she would make pancakes at the fair and serve them. Black people were afraid of that category [FAITH RINGGOLD: Oh, they hated it!] and in fact they still do.

FAITH RINGGOLD:
I wanted to defy these stereotypes. So I just rewrote Aunt Jemima’s story.

MICHELE WALLACE:
That was the first story quilt.

FAITH RINGGOLD:
We must speak or our ideas and ourselves will remain unheard and unknown.