I thought #AugustaSavage’s untitled piece at the Jacksonville Public Library would be a full sized bust, but it’s actually just 6-8” tall. I read online that the piece was lost in the library until 2017 when someone realized its value and it was put on display. A librarian I spoke to added to the story: She said it was being used as a doorstop! It really made me think about how we assess an object’s value. The wall quote acknowledges the lack of physical objects left behind in a triumphant way.

#Juneteenth hits different this year after visiting Virginia. Florida was mostly settled after the Civil War so the vestiges of slavery aren’t in my face every day. In Virginia, I had to drive down Robert E Lee Blvd and turn onto Plantation Dr. Every brick on the campus where the conference was held was made by enslaved ppl. Every building built by the enslaved. It really makes you feel like it all happened very recently. 160 years isn’t a long time.