Garden of Women

Résumé

This photographic work integrates digital editing and photography to explore Afrofuturism through the symbolic language of the color purple. Drawing on the historical and political significance of purple within feminist movements, the work positions the color as a visual marker of dignity, sovereignty, solidarity, resistance, and intersectional empowerment. Referencing its use during the early twentieth-century suffragette movement as a symbol of inherent worth and “royal blood,” the piece extends this legacy to center Black women, whose experiences embody both profound strength and systemic marginalization.

The work is further grounded in The Color Purple by Alice Walker, which redefines purple as a symbol of Womanism—a framework that articulates Black feminist thought. Walker’s assertion that “womanist is to feminist as purple is to lavender” informs the conceptual foundation of the piece, emphasizing depth, resilience, and specificity in Black women’s experiences. Through this visual and theoretical synthesis, the work reimagines Afrofuturism as a space where historical struggle and future possibility converge, foregrounding Black women’s agency and empowerment.