Resistance Rooted in the Ancestors
Wit López
Wit López (they/them) is an award-winning multidisciplinary maker, performer, writer, advocate, and public speaker based in Philadelphia. Through the use of various media, their work is tied together by exploring Black Absurdism as a tool for radical joy, healing, and empathy. In 2019, Wit was awarded an Independence Foundation Fellowship in the Arts for Visual Art for their practice in fiber art and woodworking, and an innovative Cultural Advocacy Fellowship at CCCADI in Harlem, NY. They were also one of 10 recipients of The Leeway Foundation Transformation Award for 2019. To support their curatorial work of organizing the QT Noir Arts Festival, Wit received Leeway Foundation Art and Change Grants in 2018 and 2019.
“It's impossible for me to move forward
in my work without acknowledging those who have come before me, the lives they lived, and the work they have done.”
-Wit López
q & A with Wit
How has archival research informed your activism?
Archival research has informed my activism in many ways long before I became a part of the Chronicling Resistance Fellowship. As illustrated by the Adinkra symbol sankofa, it’s impossible for me to move forward in my work without acknowledging those who have come before me, the lives they lived, and the work they have done. Doing archival research gives me the opportunity to “Go back and fetch it” when it comes to learning from activist histories.
What do you want other activists and organizers to know about preserving their stories and archival research?
How have you changed since you began this project?
Interested in more stories about Black artists and Black LGBTQ+ stories? Check out the work below:
