"Marsha P. Johnson Portrait"

By Azania Tripp

A photograph by Arlene Gottfried labeled “Marsha P. Johnson Circa 1979” is the center image of the piece. This activist, change-maker, and caring person with intersectionalities of being Black/African American and a transgender woman is a leader for us and the afro-centric future. She was known to wear fresh flowers and feathers and share what she had. She provided. There are fresh vegetables, fruits, lavender and more in the headpiece she is wearing. These items are the nourishment she provides. Surrounding her is a map of Greenwich Village (NYC). It was home for her, and many others. A space of love in a time of horrific systemic oppression. The map is cut into shapes and surrounded by water, representing the purposeful policies that uphold the white body supremacy culture that keeps us in intergenerational trauma. At the bottom of the piece, there is a handwritten sign that reads “Pay It No Mind.” This was a common phrase she would say. Flowers, fruits, sweets, and animals are at the roots of the piece. Representing sex, love, and closeness. We are the flamboyant collective.