Social Justice Sewing

Close-up of SJSA embroidered textile block depicting Marsha P. Johnson, an American gay rights activist.
Embroidered quilt block of Hillary Rodham Clinton that was included in the SJSA quilt celebrating 100 years of women's suffrage in the United States. Including the quote "Too many women in too many countries speak the same language of silence".
"# Natural Hair Rocks" Embroidered quilt block of a young black girl celebrating natural black hair. This textile block was included in an SJSA community, social justice quilt.
This colorful quilt is one of the SJSA's Community Quilts, showcasing the social justice issues of the youth of America.
Logo of The Social Justice Sewing Academy - SJSA. A non-profit organization for social justice expression through textiles.

Volunteering as a Social Justice Sewing Academy embroiderer and also as a national coordinator for the SJSA “Rememberance Project” has given me the opportunity to grow as a citizen & human being.

Embroidering the quilt blocks of middle school & high school-aged kids, who used fabric & glue to unpack their personal social justice issues, has opened a window into the lives of different races and socio-economic groups. Those blocks were stitched by other volunteers into “Community Quilts”. These quilts have traveled the country, bringing awareness to communities throughout the US.

My year serving as a coordinator of the SJSA “Rememberance Project” -finding embroiderers/artists to create banners memorializing the daily loss of men, women & children across the country. Murder by authority, & domestic, gender & community violence is a heartbreaking, tragic epidemic. I am changed to the core by this experience.

Didi Skidmore

A fabric quilt with alphabet letters stitched in different colors and patterns, organized in rows, spelling out the words 'COMPASSION SHINES THROUGH YOUR HEART'.
Colorful embroidered fabric portrait of a woman with dark skin, red lips, and hoop earrings, wearing a floral headwrap, set against a white background with red triangles.
A colorful scrapbook-style collage featuring words like 'Sweet,' 'Creative,' 'Joyful,' 'Dreamer,' and 'Bright' on a purple patterned background. There is a stylized illustration of a young girl with braids, flowers, and earrings, with handwritten text on the right side that says, 'You love life and pass it on with peace and love.'
Colorful fabric quilt depicting a portrait of Ida B. Wells with a crowd in the background and her name written at the top.
A quilt featuring multiple embroidered and fabric artworks related to women's voting rights and American history, including portraits, patriotic symbols, and messages about voting and citizenship.
A close-up of a fabric artwork featuring large embroidered letters spelling 'FESTI', a partial embroidered face with black and white details, and a colorful floral pattern on a purple background.