Notes of Native Daughters honors Black Women and Femmes at the intersection of Black History Month and Women’s History Month. Born from a desire to preserve and amplify the work of creatives whose intersectional identities are central to their artistic process. 

Notes of Native Daughters offers a glimpse into the multifaceted nature of identity, exploring themes of roots, desire, resistance, joy, and the beauty of being a Black woman or femme.

The title Notes of Native Daughters is inspired by James Baldwin’s essay Notes of a Native Son, in which he reflects on his relationship with his father and briefly mentions one of his father’s female relatives who lived with them. Baldwin writes about his father, who was from New Orleans:

"My father never mentioned Louis Armstrong, except to forbid us to play his records; but there was a picture of him on our wall for a long time. One of my father’s strong-willed female relatives had placed it there and forbade my father to take it down."

Strong-willed women and femmes—those who teach us, create, lead, push for change, nurture, and act as catalysts—offering us everything and more. We imagined that strong-willed woman/femme and saw her reflected in our family members, friends, colleagues—and, most of all, in the artists showcased here.

Curated by Ck Ledesma Borrero