Oh Happy Dani – amplifying Black voices

I’d like to use today’s post to share a wonderful resource with you – the work of an artist and activist named Danielle Coke from Atlanta, Georgia.

A visit to Dani’s website will show you that she is a graphic artist and social justice advocate. I won’t try to tell her story for her, but she is a real bright light and beacon of positivity. Dani has been interviewed on the Today show and featured in Forbes magazine, USA Today and many others.

As 2020 brought a firestorm of racial unrest, Dani saw her Instagram account gain 300,000 followers in one WEEK. She also saw many “influencers” copying her work and publishing it without crediting her as the artist. I love following her on Instagram, where she posts thought-provoking artwork and perspective-changing exchanges.

All the images you see here are prints that I purchased from Dani’s website and that I post on a rotating basis on my office door, to stimulate conversation and for ongoing accountability in my own racial justice journey.

My favorite print is on my door now, and has become my motto for 2021 (and beyond).

I often think of various situations of discrimination, injustice or oppression and wonder “how would I feel if that were happening to me or my family?”, and then I realize how utterly selfish that is – would I really only be upset if it were one of “my own”, and to be able to look away if it’s not? Those things DID happen and ARE happening to SOMEONE, and they are someone’s mother, someone’s son, someone’s daughter, even if they are not mine. And that is enough for me to be upset about, and to do what I can to make it right.

I’d love to hear what you think of Dani’s work, and what other artists, writers, poets, musicians, speakers or filmakers inspire you.