Image 1 of 1
Image 1 of 1
Image 1 of 1
Image 1 of 1
archival print. 17’’ x 14’’
The theme for Juneteenth Joyfest in 2026 was ‘Movement and Migration”. The Great Migration was the period of time between 1910 and 1970 where about six million Black people in the United States migrated from the south to the north. Jacob Lawrence created a sixty panel body of work title “Great Migration Series” and there is one piece in particular that I have been drawn to: “In the North the Negro had better educational facilities”. The painting depicts three young people facing a chalkboard, each holding a piece of chalk with the numbers “2”, “3”, and “4” near the tips of their writing utensils respectively. To me, this implies that there is an unspoken “1”. I wondered if I had a four poem set, what would these poems be about? And what poem is unspoken?
In my performance set for Joyfest, I start with a poem titled “your first poem is your name”, as an acknowledgement that we begin with identifying ourselves before we can find out where we’re supposed to be. I tie this in with a poem my younger sister, Niara Williams, performed in a 2014 LTAB performance titled “The Favorite” where she explores the liberation of Black names from colonial rule. In her poem, Niara gives us the meanings behind names like LaQuisha, Deja, Aaliyah, Alexis…
Alexis
Greek in Origin
she means defender
Alexis will spend a disproportionate amount of her life
defending her right to be named
Deja will endure the sneers of introduction
again and again and again
as people are offended by what
her mother so lovingly crowned her birth certificate
Aaliyah…
they don’t teach you that
they never emancipated your etymology
Ships within 7-10 business days of the purchase date. Shipping and insurance are included in the pricing.
All artwork remains the copyright of Noni Williams and may not be reproduced in any way. NOT FOR RESALE.
archival print. 17’’ x 14’’
The theme for Juneteenth Joyfest in 2026 was ‘Movement and Migration”. The Great Migration was the period of time between 1910 and 1970 where about six million Black people in the United States migrated from the south to the north. Jacob Lawrence created a sixty panel body of work title “Great Migration Series” and there is one piece in particular that I have been drawn to: “In the North the Negro had better educational facilities”. The painting depicts three young people facing a chalkboard, each holding a piece of chalk with the numbers “2”, “3”, and “4” near the tips of their writing utensils respectively. To me, this implies that there is an unspoken “1”. I wondered if I had a four poem set, what would these poems be about? And what poem is unspoken?
In my performance set for Joyfest, I start with a poem titled “your first poem is your name”, as an acknowledgement that we begin with identifying ourselves before we can find out where we’re supposed to be. I tie this in with a poem my younger sister, Niara Williams, performed in a 2014 LTAB performance titled “The Favorite” where she explores the liberation of Black names from colonial rule. In her poem, Niara gives us the meanings behind names like LaQuisha, Deja, Aaliyah, Alexis…
Alexis
Greek in Origin
she means defender
Alexis will spend a disproportionate amount of her life
defending her right to be named
Deja will endure the sneers of introduction
again and again and again
as people are offended by what
her mother so lovingly crowned her birth certificate
Aaliyah…
they don’t teach you that
they never emancipated your etymology
Ships within 7-10 business days of the purchase date. Shipping and insurance are included in the pricing.
All artwork remains the copyright of Noni Williams and may not be reproduced in any way. NOT FOR RESALE.