The Price of Silence

In her essay, Men Explain Things to Me, Rebecca Solnit wrote: “Most women fight wars on two fronts, one for whatever the putative topic is and one simply for the right to speak, to have ideas, to be acknowledged, to be in possession of facts and truths, to have value, to be a human being.”

I was lucky enough to march with almost half a million women and men in the Women’s March in Washington, DC on January 21^st, 2017. The energy was apparent: our voices were loud and impassioned with fire for justice, democracy and compassion. Afterwards, the march was was treated dismissively. We were told by policymakers that our opinions didn’t matter, that we had it all wrong, that we didn’t know anything about anything.

Instead of being silenced by these attempts at shaming, record numbers of women are seeking political offices, and raising their voices about issues they care about. Because if we don’t speak out about the things that matter to us, who controls the conversation?

This piece was part of the show Ultraviolet: Textile art revealing women’s issues. The message on this piece reads, “Use your voice.” Unfortunately, due to the nature of ultraviolet light, the message can only be viewed in person.

16″ h x 31″ w

Private collection