Brandy

A young woman with purple hair and glasses sits on a brick front-porch railing in a striped shirt.

“Hi, friends. My name is Brandy. I am an artist/educator, self proclaimed do-gooder, lover of people, communities, and stories. I am a daughter, sister, and friend.

I consistently experience treatment as a second class citizen, in a country that my ancestors built. I have been called ‘nigger’ more times than I care to count. I am criticized constantly in my professional and personal life. I have to advocate for my job, despite having more experience, more credentials, and more heart than my non-Black counterparts. I have even feared for my life, when pulled over by law enforcement without cause.

These experiences are not new to me. This has been my life-long reality. The catalysts of the Black Lives Matters movement are ever present, in my experience and that of others who look like me. We are hurt. We are outraged. We are exhausted.

The BLM movement is an opportunity for other citizens to make themselves aware of this reality, to educate themselves, and to engage the community in meaningful, world changing discourse. This is an opportunity to change the world for the people who inherit the world after us.

This is not only about education, but also about accountability. This is a call to action. Activate your resources to create a better world for those who come behind us. Utilize your platform to evoke lasting change. Let’s create a kinder, safer and more equitable America, for the future. We must do better.

Change the world with me. Use your art. Use your voice. Sing to change. Dance to change. Write to change. Speak to change. Take an active role in making this state, this country, better for all of us.

Stand with us, as we reclaim our place in this country. We are demanding fairness. We are demanding representation. We are demanding “liberty and justice for all”. My life matters. Our lives matter. Your life matters. Black lives matter.”

Lexington in the Time of COVID-19 is an artwork about people practicing social distancing at a time of a deadly virus. And also offering kindness.

Kurt Gohde and Kremena Todorova capture photographs at the periphery of American culture, where drag queens, discarded couches, and abandoned motel signs exist.