The Clemency Quilts was a project I did with the National Council of Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls. We were in the midst of a national state-by-state campaign to raise awareness and build support for clemency for women (state sentenced) who fit the federal clemency categories of: long timers, survived and punished, sick or elderly. Drawing on the history of quilts in the Black community and queer community (e.g. AIDS quilt), we made quilts to connect with our sisters inside and make them visible to those in the free world.
Here we are on our way to the MA governor’s house to demand action.