“The photographs did not organize the movement - it was organized by committed women and men who were enraged and engaged, not only at the point of mobilization, but in other areas of their lives as well. Their engagement created the context for the reception of those photographs. Their engagement produced the meaning that was attached to the photographs.” - A vocabulary for feminist praxis: on war and radical critique, Angela Y. Davis
I felt proud when this picture was taken. I felt like I had been holding on to so much and making myself inescapably small. This moment I felt larger than life. I felt like I was showing up, doing my part, getting loud. And then I saw the print. It doesn’t capture what I was feeling. I’m blocking the sign with the message behind the march, and I have my white boyfriend (co-conspirator though he may be) by my side. It tells the wrong story. I am still proud of going and it is a picture I will show our children one day to let them know to always fight, always question mistreatment, and show them we fought for their future. But this picture alone does not tell the whole story, or even the correct one. This march happened during the #ScholarStrike that was observed by colleges across the nation and very early in my journey into Black feminist theory. A reported from the school paper asked to talk to me before the march. I stumbled through an answer about why I was there but in complete transparency, I didn’t have words for it yet. All I had was a feeling. And a desire to prove myself. That is the story this picture should tell.
