“what’s on your heart?”
2025
Hand-dyed cotton loc installation
In 2016, “What's on your heart?” was a question Rev. Erik, the founder of The Sanctuaries in DC, asked me. The Sanctuaries was the first interfaith arts community in the country, where artists of different art mediums, racial, and religious backgrounds could build trust and take collective action.
This question stayed with me. Intimately surrounded by artists I had only recently met, this moment was the first time I felt that space was intentionally carved out for me to speak what was on my heart. I felt both vulnerable and safe.
The spirit of this community and its impact supported me through the exhaustion of 2025 after I found a journal from 2016, mirroring the political upheaval, tension, and grief that marked both moments. Reading my own words from nearly a decade ago, I recognized the same heaviness—the weight of injustice, the fear for vulnerable communities, the exhaustion of constant resistance. But those pages also reminded me that I had not been alone—that The Sanctuaries gave me refuge when the world felt unbearable, teaching me that collective care is how we survive. That same refuge lives in me now.
Through this installation, I honor a community that showed me that love is an act of resistance. A community that taught me that listening and patience create an immeasurable impact. True community gives us room to grow, heal, find our voices, and emerge at our own pace. This lesson sustains me nine years later when I need it most. Thank you for continuing to hold space for me as I hold space for myself.
