ABOUT THE ARTIST
Verneda Lights is a visual artist, photographer, performance poet, author, retired physician and griot of South Carolina’s Gullahgeechee Nation. Her body of work spans from digital to traditional fine art and surface pattern design. Her most recent work focuses on traditional and abstract portraiture as a tool for storytelling and stress management in caregiving settings. Her work has been exhibited at Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art, Woman Made Gallery, and the Edward M Kennedy Institute.

ABOUT THIS ARTWORK
Everyday, I say this simple word: “No!” At times, I say it loudly. Sometimes, I say it softly. But I always mean it. Black women suffer under multiple jettes in the tidal wave of oppression. As chattel, our wombs were the engine that built Euro-American wealth, so we had no reproductive or other rights. For these reasons, I am often furious. I say “No” to any attempts to bully me into not asserting my right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

Please note - the actual physical dimensions of this piece are 16.3 x 13.6 inch (h x w). The relative size of this work has been adjusted for the purposes of the virtual gallery presentation.

WEBSITE: https://gullahme.com

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/vernedalights

LOCATION: Port Royal, South Carolina USA