"It is our goal to achieve a better life for our families. Our life is woven into the threads of these quilts and we are the spirit of these textiles."
A group of older women who belong to the Columbus, Ohio chapter of the Women of Colour Quilters' Network produce quilts as group work. They sell the quilts to supplement their government pensions and normally use traditional geometric patchwork patterns. When they were asked to contribute to the exhibition,"The Art of Survival, International and Irish Quilts" they decided to do something different and special, in keeping with the theme.
The quilt is highly symbolic. The woman in the centre - the life giver and mother - stands in the middle of the universe. The circle representing the universe is dark, standing for emptiness and symbolising the need to go on fighting for justice. The larger circle created by the heads of women is the life cycle, their faces symbolising women who work together and are united in spirit. The faces are of different colours to signify the wide spectrum of skin shades of Afro-Americans. The bright yellow background of the quilt is like the sun, standing for energy and the power to survive.
| 
