Storytellers, caregivers, world creators, and narrative disruptors, Black Femme (Femme, Women, Non-Binary) dancers hold unique perspectives on our culture. Harnessing our Gardens is a collection of essays, poems, and conversations with Black Femme movement artists that archive the necessity, impact, and journey of these artists. 

  

Here we provide space for Black Femme movement artists to contemplate and consider a portion of their story, within their own voice, archive Black dance lineage within Massachusetts, and encourage our communities to engage with dance as a liberating activity.  

  

The world denies Black Femmes our right to simply, be, and yet our persistence and contributions in the face of this erasure are astounding. I question what it means to reveal truths, rather than swallow pain. I wonder how to protect our sacred beauty while showcasing our complexity. This work is heavily inspired by choreographers like Ntozake Shange who effortlessly bridged dance and writing. The project’s namesake is an ode to one of my favorite poets, Alice Walker. As I re-read Walker’s essay “In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens” I felt a deep sensation that the questions I ask through this project have been pondered by my ancestors. Walker writes, “Guided by my heritage of a love of beauty and a respect for strength, in search of my mother's garden, I found my own.” How far deep do our roots grow? How far forward will our legacies bloom? 

   

Harnessing our Gardens was conceived, written, and edited by Victoria Lynn Awkward with contributions from Sarah “Nnenna Loveth” Nwafor and illustrations by Katiana Rodriguez-Veytsman. This project is funded by Mass Humanities: Expand Massachusetts Stories.