Apr 11th 2019

Tonika Johnson, Melissa Blount, and Essence McDowell work within diverse artistic practices (including photography, quilting, painting, and writing) to honor and center Black womenโ€™s voices and histories. At this Public Newsroom, inspired by Alice Walkerโ€™s writings on Black womenโ€™s creativity, these artists will discuss their work as embodiments of Black womenโ€™s intergenerational and unconventional creative practices.

Find out how they are redefining connections between creative work and resistance to oppression, exploring the relationship between Black women and the archive, and monumentalizing Black women within our creative lineages. This discussion will be moderated by Kanyinsola Anifowoshe, who joined us at our 87th newsroom to talk about what young Chicagoans are doing to shape the cityโ€™s future.

This Public Newsroom celebrates the opening of the In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens exhibit, the culmination of a series exploring Black womenโ€™s creativity through the lens of Alice Walker, featuring workshops and programs led by artists Tonika Johnson, Melissa Blount, Essence McDowell, and Renata Cherlise.


City Bureau’s #PublicNewsroom is a series of free, weekly workshops and discussions aimed at building trust between journalists and the communities they serve while shaping a more inclusive newsroom.

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