Ep 025: From Suffrage to Civil Rights | How We Have Used Quilts to Amplify Our Voices
About this episode
This episode explores the intersection of quilting and activism throughout American history, highlighting how marginalized communities have used quilts to amplify their voices.
In this episode, I explore the intersection of quilting and activism throughout American history. I'm not here to share my personal political views or tell you how to vote. Instead, I'm examining how quilters—especially marginalized communities—have used fabric and thread to tell stories, support causes, and make their voices heard when society tried to silence them. Find show notes HERE for a visual guide for this episode, and to find links to some of the resources referenced in this episode. I walk through four powerful historical examples: the 1836 Boston Female Anti-Slavery Society fundraising quilt with its heartbreaking poem about enslaved children; the Hoosier Suffrage Quilt featuring nearly 300 embroidered names of women fighting for the right to vote; Jessie Telfair's bold Freedom Quilts made after losing her job for registering to vote during the Civil Rights Movement; and the monumental AIDS Memorial Quilt, the largest community art project ever created. We discuss a framework for approaching activist quilts, explore subtle political expression through motifs and pattern names, and address the discomfort that can arise when viewing quilts with bold messages. Whether it…
People in this episode
Host: Emily Dodd
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Boston Female Anti-Slavery Society, Hoosier Suffrage Quilt, AIDS Memorial Quilt
More episodes of Patchwork Revival: A Quilting Podcast
- Ep 028: Back to Basics | The Notions that Beginner Quilters Actually Need to Make a Quilt (and Have Fun Doing It!)
- Eo 027: From Colonial Bedspreads to the Roaring 1920s: A Walk Through the History of Quilting in America with Quilt Scouts (Part 1)
- Ep 026: The Woman Who Loved to Quilt | A Story about Quilting Tradition and a Legacy of Community
- Ep 024: Quilt Photography 101 | Tips for Documenting Your Quilting Legacy
- Ep 023: Why Quilting Community Matters | Your Stories from the Sweater Weather Sampler Sew Along, Part II
- Ep 022: Cozy Quilts for the Modern Home | A Conversation with Abby Luchsinger
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