Kindred Spirits: A Convergence of African American Quilters in Durham, North Carolina is set for June 19-21, 2025. This year’s theme is Space and Time: Quilting Afrofuturism, and we’re beyond excited to welcome quilters, artists, and the public to join us in honoring the boundless creativity and resilience of African American culture. This Juneteenth weekend event marks an opportunity to explore Afrofuturism—a powerful lens for reimagining futures where African heritage and visionary dreaming shape new possibilities.
Juneteenth has become one of my favorite holidays. This annual celebration honors resilience and freedom, as African Americans across the United States gather to remember the hardships of enslavement and to celebrate the joy that came with the end of such oppression. I can only imagine the jubilation of those first liberated souls, as news of freedom slowly spread across the South. The Civil War had ended in 1865, but it wasn’t until June 19, 1867 that enslaved African Americans in Texas learned of their freedom—two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. We honor those who were unaware of that news, the last souls freed from bondage, and all who endured the unimaginable.
But freedom remains elusive in many ways, even into the 21st century. African Americans continue to face systemic inequalities, prompting questions that echo from the past: What is freedom? How can it be fully obtained? And, more importantly, how do we imagine new futures where equality is fully realized?
Afrofuturism offers a transformative path to answer these questions. It draws from historical narratives, while projecting forward to imagine an empowered Black future. It’s in this spirit that we gather as quilters, drawing inspiration from visionaries like Nichelle Nichols, the iconic Lieutenant Uhura on Star Trek. Nichols broke barriers in the 1960s by showing an African American woman in a position of leadership and intelligence on a starship, symbolizing a future where Black people not only survive but thrive. Her meeting with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. became legendary when he urged her to stay on the show, calling it her way of “marching in the movement.” Her portrayal of Uhura gave hope to countless African Americans, helping them see their potential and a future beyond the bounds of racial limitations.
And then, there were groundbreakers like Madam C.J. Walker, America’s first Black female millionaire, who turned her vision of financial independence into reality. Walker’s beauty empire empowered Black women, offering them the chance to build their own futures through entrepreneurship. Today, that legacy lives on as we see Black leaders like Shirley Chisholm and Kamala Harris rise to the nation’s highest levels of leadership, each a testament to the power of vision and perseverance.
As we approach this 2025 Juneteenth, I think about what Afrofuturism truly represents: an African liberated society, stretched across time and space, reimagined and recast. It’s a way of dreaming and of visualizing infinite possibilities. At our Kindred Spirits conference, we will use cloth, needle, and thread to capture those dreams. Our quilts will reflect our visions for a liberated future, sewing our imaginings into every stitch.
We Invite You to Join Us!
We warmly welcome African American quilters to join us at Kindred Spirits, to stitch new futures and honor our roots in this shared journey. The public is invited to experience Quilting Afrofuturism, our special showcase on Friday, June 20, 2025 at the Durham Convention Center. Come see these powerful works that blend tradition and imagination, carrying our dreams forward. Donations to support Kindred Spirits are welcome, as they help make this unique gathering possible and keep our mission of community and celebration alive. Make your generous donations online at rswms.org/donate or through our Indiegogo campaign. If you are an African American quilter, join us for the conference. Register here.
Mark your calendars, bring your visions, and prepare to be inspired at Kindred Spirits 2025! Let’s stitch together the future we dare to dream.
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