The Reconciliation / Truth Soft Served, 2024-2025

42 × 41 ″ Framed: 58 × 57 × 4 ″ Embroidery on archival pigment print

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This piece features three Black children (my own) and is layered in meaning. One stands at the center, while the other two are subtly faded into the background. The central figure holds a vanilla ice cream cone, a nod to the overlooked contributions of James Hemings and Augustus Jackson, whose innovations shaped what vanilla ice cream is today. Their names remain absent from mainstream American history.

The children in the background are seen letting go of a kite depicting the American Flag. Releasing the kite represents the need to let go of the illusion of the American dream (that was historically constructed to serve some while excluding others, sustained through erasure, romantization of historical events. exclusion, and systemic harm) and embrace a vision stemmed in community, truth, global care, and true evolution.

Along her neckline, I have hand-stitched strands of red, white, and blue thread onto the photograph, representing both adornment and unraveling. Lower on the garment, red geometric embroidery forms in cascading diamond patterns, symbolizing a tumbling empire. The intentional placement and movement of the shape represent collapse.