“Combing for Care: An Ethnography of Community Responses to Violence Against Black Women”

This sociocultural anthropology dissertation project maps the networks of care Black women navigate when they seek support after experiencing sexual violence. Through ethnography, Black feminist health science studies, and Black feminist theory, I seek to understand how communities identify, develop, and create projects and systems of care for Black women who experience sexual violence in LA County, as well as how Black women navigate this care for themselves and their loved ones. I’m curious about formal and informal networks, medical and non-medical interventions, as well as community-based programming and interpersonal support. 

“Weaving for Care”

“Weaving for Care” comprises a body of interconnected texts, fiber arts, photography, and film. The composition uses autoethnography, Black feminism, philosophy, and healing arts to examine the relationships amongst violence, care, and healing in the aftermath of sexual trauma in the lives of Black women and girls. I am learning SAORI-style weaving, a philosophical weaving practice, to analyze and extend the ethnographic data of my dissertation research through visual art.