100 Years of African American Economists: Oppositional Knowledge and Scholarly Activism

Abstract

“My work is not traditional. I like it that way. If people tell me to turn my ends under, I’ll leave them raggedy. If they tell me to make my stitches small and tight, I’ll leave them loose. Sometimes you can trip over my stitches they’re so big. You can always recognize the traditional quilters who come by and see my quilts. They sort of cringe. They fold their hands in front of them as if to protect themselves from the cold. When they come up to my work they think to themselves, “God, what has happened here – all these big crooked stitches.” I appreciate these quilters. I admire their craft. But that’s not my kind of work. I would like them to appreciate what I’m doing. They are quilters. But I am an artist. And I tell stories.”