Black Futures Now: Black Directions

Artist(s)

Adele Lukusa

Date

February 2020 to March 2020

Adele Lukusa is a third-year journalism student at Ryerson and an aspiring multidisciplinary storyteller. The piece is about Black people's favorite places — whether they be physical or emotional, through Black Directions. Adele asked Black folks she knew personally, as well as other members of the Mapping Black Futures community to contribute, and visualized it as best she could for the space available at The Public. She is obsessed with archives for and by Black folks, so finding a way to creatively document these spaces where Black people feel the safest was wonderful for her.

Black Futures Now is a digital space for Black girls, cis, queer, non-binary and trans girls in Toronto to discuss and share experiences, to address the disadvantages that they face while creating the political will to publicly acknowledge their achievements, contributions, and leadership.

Yellow and white flower garlands are hanging in the foreground, partially obscuring a window with the text "Mapping Black Futures." A snowy street with buildings and trees can be seen through the window.
Three pink and yellow paper arrows with typed text are hanging against a beige wall. The texts on the arrows are: "Hear the sound of an old dog barking behind a leaning brown fence," "you never see it - but you know it’s there," and "Look out for the evergreen trees at the side of the building, there are three cars parked on the against the curb.
Three wooden signposts displaying instructions for a walking tour are hanging from a string. The numbered steps advise walking directions, noting landmarks like a Jamaican grocery store and a seafood shop, and suggest sitting on blue pipes to enjoy patties and people-watching.

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