This body of work began intuitively, employing a modernist approach, responding to my thoughts about the continued violence committed by police against Black Americans, especially young boys. As a mother of two boys myself, I often think of how different my experience raising children is different for Black mothers. This work is in homage and a symbol of the deep respect I have for them. The figures forms were influenced by an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Sahel: Art and Empires on the Shores of the Sahara. That I saw just before I made this. The figurative sculptures in carved wood and clay informed both the formal and narrative aspects of this group. I was thinking about women as vessels, containers of life, family, and community. I like to work in series and groups to visually tell a story. I am interested in the interconnectedness of humanity and the complicated intersection of race and colorism in America. I revere the dignity, strength, power, and poise that Black women possess in the face of life’s challenges and systemic racism. Viewing ourselves through this cross-cultural lens blurs the line between our differences and emphasizes our commonalities.