Students gathered under cloudy skies to commemorate the lives of Black women murdered by law enforcement during an event hosted by the University of Rhode Island Black Student Union and the Women’s Center on Wednesday.
The vigil honored 10 women, ranging from ages 11 to 44 years old: Ta’Nesha Chappell, Latoya Denise James, Priscilla Slater, Atatiana Jefferson, Pamela Turner, Jassmine McBride, Aleah Jankins, Ma’Khia Bryant, Brayla Stone and Monica Goods.
Photos of the women were placed on the Multicultural Student Services Center lawn with electric candles, the photos accompanied by the age each woman was killed.
A chalk mural, the work of URI alumna AGONZA (‘15), sprawled on the concrete in front of the MSSC. The chalk artwork depicted a cartoon Rhody the Ram peering over the words “Say Her Name” in cartoon lettering.
For some, color at a vigil may seem out of place. AGONZA said it was strategic.
“Just to have representation of happiness and the vivid lives they had,” AGONZA said.
The colors are a part of a Latin tradition, in which sawdust is spread on the floor, AGONZA said.
Ana Barazza, director of the Women’s Center, also attributed the color to the vibrancy of the women’s lives.
“They were full of passion, they were driven, they were motivated,” Barazza said.
This wasn’t AGONZA’s first dip into the social justice mural space, in fact she dove in head first in 2020, she said. When businesses began to be boarded up in 2020 in Providence, AGONZA was one of the first to paint on the boards. The University wasn’t as diverse in 2015, so coming back brings mixed feelings.
“To see the University diversifying so much and supporting me as an alumni is bittersweet,” AGONZA said.
As for current students, representing the lives of Black women is vital despite obstacles. The collaboration with the Women’s Center was pushed back from last month, vice president of the BSU, third-year Abimbola Aina said.
“It’s important to shed light on the injustice and racism,” Aina said. “We haven’t forgotten them.”
The sentiment of remembrance was echoed throughout student contributions to the mural, invited by AGONZA. Attendees were welcomed to take the art into their own hands, writing messages around the mural: “You are loved,” “Protect Black women,” and “You will not be forgotten.”
The use of color isn’t the only strategic element of the mural, Barazza said. The mural is nestled between two of the busiest spots on campus: the Robert L. Carothers Library and the Memorial Union.
“I like the idea of having her word as a symbol of people going about their regular routines of the day and having it be very visual,” Barazza said.
While the impending rain may have spoiled a chalk mural for many, Barazza and AGONZA said it only enhanced the symbolism.
“As humans, we die and they forget about us,” AGONZA said. “How you left your memory on others will stay, and that’s the color.”
The clouds overhead threatened temporary art, but the memory of the murdered Black women will remain.
To see more of AGONZA’s work, visit their Instagram page: @agonzaart.