There is something powerful about this print, Grandma’s Glory. A Black woman, her hair gray with wisdom and experience, sitting quietly, stitching the American flag.
Stitch by stitch. Thread by thread.
I look at her and think about the generations of Black women who helped build a nation that didn’t always recognize their worth, protect their rights, or honor their contributions.
And yet, they kept stitching. Kept praying. Kept believing. Kept showing up.
I think of Mary McLeod Bethune, who understood the power of education. Shirley Chisholm, who refused to wait for a seat at the table. Dorothy Height, who devoted her life to justice and equality. And Fannie Lou Hamer, who reminded this nation that our voices mattered.
The thread continued through Stacey Abrams, Kamala Harris, Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, and countless other women whose names may never appear in a history book, but whose work has helped shape this country.
Then came November 2024.
Whew.
After that election, there was a whole lot of conversation about Black women needing to rest. To step back. To stop carrying the weight of a nation that too often looks to us to save it, while simultaneously questioning our qualifications, dismissing our contributions, and attempting to dismantle the very opportunities we fought to create.
And you know what?
We rested.
As my Daddy would say, we rested our eyes.
We didn’t have to lead every march. We didn’t have to show up at every “No Kings” protest. We didn’t have to respond to every headline, defend every position, or explain ourselves to people who had already decided not to listen.
We gave ourselves permission to rest.
But here’s what I know about Black women.
Rest has never meant surrender.
While some may have mistaken our quiet for complacency, we were doing what we have always done.
We kept stitching.
We kept educating our children. We kept earning degrees, building businesses, strengthening communities, mentoring the next generation, and showing up for our families.
We kept being qualified, overqualified, and somehow still being asked to prove ourselves.
We kept praying. We kept preparing. We kept pushing.
And yes, we took a nap or two along the way!
Because even Grandma, with all those years of wisdom, understood that you don’t have to finish the entire quilt in one sitting.
Sometimes you put down the needle, rest your hands, and come back with fresh eyes and renewed strength.
And BABY, look what a little catnap did!
November 2026 brought another reminder of what is possible. Congresswoman Joyce Beatty was reelected. Keisha Lance Bottoms made history. And across the country, women and communities continued exercising the very power that generations before us fought to secure.
Now, I know one election doesn’t fix everything. There are still policies to challenge, barriers to remove, and promises to hold our elected leaders accountable for keeping.
But I also know this:
We never stopped stitching.
Grandma wasn’t just stitching an American flag. She was stitching hope, resilience, sacrifice, and the promise that the next generation would have a voice.
And perhaps that’s what moves me most about this print.
Her work isn’t loud. She isn’t standing at a podium or holding a protest sign. She’s simply doing her part, one stitch at a time.
And isn’t that how so much of our history has been written?
By women who understood that progress doesn’t always announce itself. Sometimes it happens in classrooms, kitchens, churches, boardrooms, voting booths, and around tables where decisions are made.
Sometimes it looks like resistance.
Sometimes it looks like preparation.
And sometimes it looks like rest.
The work isn’t finished. There are still stitches to be made, seams to strengthen, and yes, some things that desperately need mending.
But today, I am grateful for the women who kept their hands on the fabric of this nation, even when this nation tried to unravel their dreams.
We are their legacy. We are part of the fabric. And we have a responsibility to keep stitching for those who will come after us.
And as for all that talk about dismantling DEI?
Well, isn’t it something that the very women whose qualifications were questioned are still showing up, still leading, and still making history?
They tried to take DEI, and we came back with our eyes on the WHOLE government!
Not bad for a little catnap.
Grandma, your stitching was not in vain.
To God be the glory!
