On the evening of November 4, 2008, like others all over America - and abroad -, I was glued to my television set. I was prepared to watch the returns until the wee hours of the morning and was stunned when around midnight, it was announced that Barack Obama had 338 electoral votes - well over the 270 needed - and was declared the winner. This young African American man had just become the 44th President of the United States of American. I was elated, overwhelmed, speechless! Having been born in the thirties, I could not help but remember the indignities of Jim Crow and the sacrifices of the Civil Rights Movement. I could not help but think of the fact that our President - elect was standing firmly on the shoulders of many who paved the way for him. I went to sleep knowing that there was a quilt in there somewhere.

Right click HERE and open in new window to see why the quilt was made, the names on the stones, and cowrie information without having to close this page.

[© 2008, Marlene Linton O'Bryant-Seabrook, 35" x 38"]

As they usually do, my quilt came during my dreams - a path of engraved bricks led to a portrait of our 44th President. I decided to concentrate on the Civil Rights era and limit my "names" to 44. Several of the 67 names that I'd brainstormed were covered by the inclusion of four organizations. The quilt was named, "They Paved The Way".
I selected a black and gold African print from my stash which has cowrie shells all over it. As I worked on my sketch, I realized that "bricks" presented a problem. They had to be uniform in size and that made it difficult to stick to the 44 limit as each row became wider. So, I changed to random sized "stepping stones". As I looked at the vibrant gold on the fabric, I knew that the stones needed to be cut from an interesting product that I had, gold Etal, which is actual metal on a substrate that allows it to be cut with scissors and sewn.

I worked diligently for several days and delayed leaving for Columbia, SC (two hour trip) until Thanksgiving morning because I wanted to get the quilt top to a desirable stage before leaving. A small sewing machine resides in the trunk of my auto, so, I packed all of my needed supplies and pinned tulle over the quilt top - attached to a portable design wall - to keep the slightly glued "stones" intact during the trips to Columbia and Myrtle Beach.

I want to make it perfectly clear that it took just as many hours to make this quilt in three weeks as it would have taken if I had worked on it for three/four months. I literally worked some eighteen hour days, remembering at two in the afternoon that I'd not eaten, placing the ironing board in another room so that I would have to periodically stand up. I've spoken with other artists in the exhibition and our stories are very much the same, only the names and geographic locations are different. Many of us attended the Opening at the Historical Society of Washington, DC on January 11, 2009. The quilts are awesome! Our mantra has become, "Yes, We Did!"

THEY PAVED THE WAY

Medium: Machine Pieced, Appliqued, and Quilted; African and Commercial Fabric, 100% Cotton; Gold Etal (real metal on a flexible substrate); Photo Transfer, Textile Paint, African Batiked Bone Beads; Gold Painted Cowrie Shells.

The road that led to Barack Obama becoming the 44th President of the United States of America was paved by many persons and events focused on bringing to fruition America’s promise that all men are created equal. The quilt features 44 gold stepping stones which are symbolic of the precious lives, blood, sweat, and tears of those named and, vicariously, others unnamed and unknown. All gave Some, but, the first six rows and the collage at top honor those who gave ALL. The African fabric with the cowrie shell print is doubly significant. It recognizes President Obama’s paternal heritage and that the cowrie shell was probably used by the British as currency to purchase many of the ancestors who built the Capitol and White House. The shells attached at the bottom represent the 13 Original Colonies.