This piece was inspired by the quote, “I am dripping in melanin and honey. I am Black without apology,” by Upile Chisala. I resonate deeply with these words, as affirmations of Blackness and self-worth have been a constant presence in my life. Growing up, my mother taught me to honor my skin, my body, and my presence in a world that often demands restraint or silence from Black women.

As an adult, I return to those affirmations as acts of self-love and confidence. Through texture, material weight, and dripping forms, the figure embodies abundance, sensuality, and unapologetic existence. Her afro represents inheritance and overflow—what is carried, what is protected, and what refuses to be contained. This work celebrates Black womanhood as grounded, radiant, and fully embodied.