With Dignity: Stories of Triumph and Recovery from Yewande Kotun Davis

With Dignity: Stories of Triumph and Recovery” is a series that came about from Yewande’s previous career as a healthcare administrator where she worked to design and implement programs to that connected Baltimore City hospitals to their communities. For four years, she recruited, hired, advocated for, and worked alongside individuals who were navigating life in recovery. She witnessed the shame and humiliation from stigma along with the frustration of re-integration into everyday society that people in recovery can face. She also witnessed the compassion, grace, self-love, and pride that can come from recovery. Through her work, Yewande recognized that while substance use is very real… People can heal. People can change. People can recover and (re)discover their light. And often times, when they do, that light is even more glorious and brilliant than before. “With Dignity” seeks to visually narrate the colorful, yet triumphant stories of seven individuals, specifically Black folks, from Baltimore City who are in recovery. Through portraiture, floral motifs, drawings, and narrative interviews, the collection highlights their humanity and worthiness, forcing viewers to question their own vices and recognize their own biases about who and what is beautiful and worthy.