Every Defiant Woman is the second Juneteenth quilt I have made. The quilt starts with the woman beautifully dressed and provocatively posed, but the words in the quilt steal the show. The words say “They controlled my body, but never my mind. Now I am free to be the queen I am. June 19, 1865.”

The applique of the woman and the words are fused and finished with a blanket stitch on a black background. The date is machine stitched using a decorative stitch. Color choices are important in this quilt. The woman’s light skin with dots represents several generations of rape and trauma. The black background represents the African continent, and the red date represents the blood shed to get to freedom.

Every Defiant Woman measures 53 x 47 inches. It was machine quilted by Maxine Moore. I embellished the quilt with crystals and a charm.

There is a hanging sleeve on the back for easy display and a label that documents the quilt. I signed it on the front. This quilt is one-f-a-kind.

Every Defiant Woman will made her public debut as part of the City of South Fulton Juneteenth exhibit June 18 - July 29, 2022 at the Southwest Arts Center, 915 New Hope Road, South Fulton, GA.