Growing up in a town, hamlet or village is an experience in itself. It often means being distant from family and a larger Black community and the grounding that it provides. On the other hand, there is heavy freedom that can come from finding yourself independently.
Adolesence is hard, navigating identity, belonging, heritage and navigating being black women in very white spaces amongst all the mess of adolescence is a different challenge. As Black Womxn who have grown through these experiences and have stories to tell is what ISLANDS : BETWEEN WORLDS as a platform is about.
I started this project in February 2020, a lot has changed between then and when you are reading this. COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement have highlighted the way systemic racism faces Black people and these interviews reflect this. Interviews were recorded over this period and I would like to thank everyone I interviewed for sharing their stories.
Veronica x