Written by Liz
The Liberation at the Margins (LAM Collective) had the pleasure of welcoming Dr. Tanisha M. Jackson, author of the award-winning book Black Women's Art Ecosystems: Sites of Wellness and Self-Care, on the afternoon of April 6, 2026. We discussed why and how she chose the book’s topic and each chapter's subject.
During the discussion we learned that Dr. Jackson is originally from Columbus, Ohio and is a fan of football: specifically, the Cleveland Browns, *Dallas Cowboys* (me too) and The Ohio State Buckeyes. Dr. Jackson has spent a significant amount of her time as an Assistant Professor of African American Studies and director of the Community Folk Art Center at Syracuse University.
One of the main reasons for Dr. Jackson's love of art is its accessibility to all people. It can become the center of important conversations and text because people can relate to images. Dr. Jackson's passion has always been artists and the meanings behind various forms of ART. She stated that "art is the gateway to conversations and it draws out unconscious bias as sight is one of the ways in which we learn to navigate the world." Besides her personal love of art, connection is the main reason she chooses to study art as it can expose people to new ideas and help develop critical thinking skills and question things that we have been taught.
Dr. Jackson said that she chose specific artists and subjects for her book because they promoted self-care and impacted her personal life. Self-care became an important factor for her after promising her late grandmother that she would write a book and take good care of herself. During COVID she set goals to practice and complete both promises.
One of the topic discussions during the visit was incarcerated women exercising their powers during their isolation. Dr. Jackson encouraged us to "affirm and create resources for those inside and outside of prison" as well as to build communities such as the LAM Collective. Affirming humanity and seeing beyond our circumstances are the two concepts that she recommended we practice daily. These practices would then help us express ourselves and free our minds from the labels that society puts on us. As leaders in our community, we do have voices that matter, and we do share them with others, so her words of wisdom resonated with LAM members. They also motivated us to continue to work within and against the restraints of the system in which we are confined.
The book is filled with a history of emotional stories and art by Black women. Their strength, care, resistance, and knowledge are impactful for the reader. Individual and marginalized community legacies of struggles are documented through the archives and artistic expressions.
The importance of her work was appreciated and honored by LAM Collective members because she was both vulnerable and informative throughout the afternoon. She mentioned a few possible future projects that we cannot wait to see completed! Dr. Jackson told us that it was an honor to be with us, but the real honor was in the hearts of the LAM Collective because she delivered a plethora of wisdom that could come from no other person!
Thank you, Dr. Jackson!