Quilting is deeply rooted in Black cultural heritage and has played a significant role in activist movements throughout history.

“West African weavers called this cloth by its original name, Nsaduaso. In Ghana, Nsaduaso is also known as Kente. Kente cloth requires many hours of careful weaving...The Middle Passage brought Black Africans to the Americas by the millions and with them the traditional appliqué form of quilt making. According to legend, a safe house along the Underground Railroad was often indicated by a quilt hanging from a clothesline or windowsill. These quilts were embedded with a code so that by reading the shapes and motifs sewn into the design, an enslaved person on the run could know the area’s immediate dangers or even where to head next.” (Reference)

Quiltmaker Karen Hinton Robinson uses quilting as a powerful tool for social change. “In a time when books are banned and discussions around race are curtailed, Karen Hinton Robinson takes on the responsibility of teaching Black history beyond the institution. In this mother-daughter interview, the historian and skilled quilter explains how her craft is used to supplement education by creating quilts that document the important figures of Black history, missing in Texas schools.”

“Quilting is a way to sneak in the teaching. If we don’t know our history, no one will tell our story. I accepted that responsibility for my children– for the ones I gave birth to and the ones who just became my children by nature of me just loving them.” - Karen Hinton Robinson (Reference)

To learn more about the history of African American quilting, watch this 3-minute video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MX7rTee0urc&t=17s

TODAY’S PRACTICE: Watch this 9-minute video about Karen Hinton Robinson and how she uses quilting as her medium for activism.  

https://www.pbs.org/articles/black-quilters-historians-and-memory-keepers