"My research is for a work-in-progress COMBAHEE, an experimental musical and love letter to Black feminists present, future, and past. The musical follows four friends as they explore what it looks like when Black women and femmes center play and pleasure as acts of protest. The friends honor the expansive legacies of ancestral Black women and femme artists and organizers spanning the African Diaspora while creating space for rest, laughter, and embodied joy. My artistic practice is deeply informed by Black feminist thought, Black church history and theology, and Blues aesthetics, and I’m excited to use this grant to explore various archives, museums, and special collections in Kansas City, Missouri that highlight the impact and influence of Black musicians and artists, historians, churches, and social groups." - LySaundra Campbell
