sanssouci hashtag performance

February 8th, 2025 Happy #blackhistorymonth 🧚🏾🖤🌈 The Trail of Tears flows Less than a mile from our house Even the sign hurts The inheritors Of every brutality Of our Ancestors Of their Goodness too What will we choose to do now Amend or Destroy? — AR I am a Daughter of Diasporas—Black and White. I’ve been called the N-word by white folks. I’ve been called an “Oreo” by black folks. I’ve been shamed for the texture of my hair & the darkness of my skin —by both. I’ve been mocked for the way I speak. I’ve been spat on in the street. Assaulted by police. I've been refused bathroom service. I’ve been followed and harassed. I’ve watched the bus drive past. I’ve been told to go back — “go back to Africa.” I could go on and on... I’ve been on the outside looking in —it taught me: Compassion. Forgiveness. Empathy. Resilience. I’m a Bridge. Bridges are strong. We’re all standing on the shoulders of our Ancestors. Whatever our differences, our lineages, we all come from long lines of Survivors who all lived through times harder than this. We have that in common & our differences—are RICHES. I met my Black Family for the first time when I was 30 years old. Two weeks later we went to Grenada together. That’s where I was first called the #outsidechild Literally it means a child born out of wedlock. Figuratively it feels expansive enough. I wear the term with Pride. I am a Scottish Grenadian Canadian Queer Black Cisgender Woman, a mother, an artist, an immigrant living in America. Those whose identities are at the center of extractive, destructive, delusional, false hierarchy are susceptible to empathy impairment & compassion deficit. I believe that we who stand at the intersections of the margins have a clearer view of the page. Our vision, our perspectives, our lived experiences are desperately needed. Our Superpowers of Empathy, Compassion, Forgiveness are Precious Harm Reducing Resources. Yesterday we celebrated 51 years of Grenada’s Independence. I wrote #sanssouci there. Here’s to us —all of us —there’s none like us. Still We Rise. Love & Metamorphosis x #allisonrussell #persephone @Hadestown through Feb 16th Cornrows by @Adja Harlem Hair Braiding