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The background blocks of this quilt are constructed of Jacob's Ladder
and Two by Two, from the Bible. The broken apart church has
become a furnace that fuels the wrath of the minister. His
charisma is represented by his stole. It contains a piece of
mylar: shiny to look at and reflective of the onlooker's image of
self.
A trinity of perpetuating clergy supporters close their eyes to all
that surrounds them. The female in the Trinity has the best
vantage from which to witness all aspects of the scenario.
Instead, she chooses to hold onto the minister's tyranny.
All perpetuators have turned away from the woman who has been the
primary target of the abuse. Although she has escaped the minister
and the church, she remains shackled to the minister's charisma.
Her dress is of the blue color associated with the Virgin Mary.
She has no mouth because she has been silenced by the church.
Included in the quilting motifs are a ringing telephone, a
broomstick, a garbage can and an envelope. They represent the
instruments of harassment that have been used to intimidate victims
into silence. Like those subtle acts of terrorism, the motifs
are barely perceived by uninformed onlookers and not at all by those
who have turned away.
Also included in the quilting is the track of the underground
railroad. The only source of light in this quilt emanates from
the underground. There, the survivor is a woman of color, who
holds the key to solutions to this problem of domination,
victimization, and oppression. The halo that surrounds her is
off center and a bit crooked because, after all, no one is entirely
perfect. Please note that in this quilt, clergy and survivors
are NOT cut from the same cloth.
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Exploitation
