Uplifting the Voices of MacArthur Fellows During Black History Month

Black History Month is an annual opportunity to recognize the impact that people of the African diaspora have had in the United States. It is a moment to commemorate the achievements a people who have contributed to the history and cultural heritage of the country, and in particular to recognize the many generations of Black Americans who strive to overcome adversity and achieve full citizenship in society.

Black MacArthur Fellows are tackling a number of issues in a wide range of fields. This month and beyond, we encourage you to explore the work of these exceptionally creative individuals.

Here are ten quotes from some of these Fellows about their work and their personal experiences. Let us know in the comments which ones resonate with you, or share your own favorite quote from a MacArthur Fellow:

“I went to an arts high school called La Guardia in New York. It’s an urban New York City high school. It’s a very diverse place, all God’s people. But you are studying art history there and you are like, ‘Wait a minute. There are no people of color, except the very ancient Egyptians, Mayans, and Aztecs.’ Those are the only people of color you see in the pictures.” — Kellie Jones, Art Historian and Curator

“There’s no book out there to read as a Black person on how to be a Black architect. It’s not coming up with something that’s homogenous but having the discussion about difference — not diversity, but difference. Diversity doesn’t get at the crux of things. Just to have a varied set of things is one thing — to be really different is another. My opinion can be different and we can still coexist.” — Walter Hood, Landscape and Public Artist

“What I hope viewers will take away from my work is that we are living in a crucial moment where the socioeconomic shift from industrial labor to the knowledge economy in rustbelt America is leaving an important part of our society behind. Artists and documentarians using their creativity to record and preserve lives from these areas are vital to our society’s heritage and cultural legacy.” — LaToya Ruby Frazier, Photographer and Video Artist

“I’m always open to exploring new ideas. And I will say, if there’s a problem that everybody else is already working on, then I don’t necessarily feel the need to go and work on that same thing. I’m excited if there’s something that seems like it’s not being explored and maybe it should be, even if it’s a little bit speculative.” — Monika Schleier-Smith, Experimental Physicist

“Imagine if that birder in Central Park didn’t have a camera. Imagine if there had been no camera on George Floyd. The cameras make all the difference. Our role as documentary filmmakers is to give it context, to give it some kind of history, to go a little bit deeper.” — Stanley Nelson, Documentary Filmmaker

“All of depiction is fiction, it’s only a question of degree…That’s the nature of representation; every time we represent something we alter it and slightly change it. And so with that as my foundation, understanding that it’s always fictional to some degree, I give myself a certain freedom to really explore and ask myself questions.” — Titus Kaphar, Painter

“I am both extremely intrigued and terrified by heights and by flight, though flight is a powerful spiritual motif for some of us who are children of the African diaspora. Many of our ancestors saw flying, both real and imagined, as an escape from the unbearable circumstances of the Middle Passage, slavery, and some of what came after.” — Edwidge Danticat, Novelist

“Just watching people try to reach each other was always really exciting and interesting to me, whatever way they did it — sometimes fighting. But I want to push that, to say: Here’s the expectation we have around a black performing body, and I want more space. I want more than that.” — Okwui Okpokwasili, Choreographer and Performer

“My desire is that my work leads me to places I haven’t been before. I mean place to be literal as well as figurative. So, I guess, yes that could be ‘literal’ culture and ‘figurative’ self. I suppose when I enter to the ‘difficult places’ I hope to exit with something new.” — Terrence Hayes, Poet

“It’s a time to recognize Black female genius. Our genius helps the world really understand what genius is. Genius isn’t just some ivory tower thing that predominantly white men have. Or just men. Black female genius is inclusive and powerful in a way that you don’t even realize, and can bring all kinds of people together.” — Suzan-Lori Parks, Playwright