Carole Rogers

Allowance is Holy Water

15"x 15" Canvas Print

$225

I don’t think grief goes away—especially as a Black woman. Our resilience is birthed out of necessity, not superhuman strength. Our strength is used by others as an excuse to strip us of our humanity; we are not allowed sadness and stillness. Sometimes, all I have in me is tears and even those are in service to building space. Unfortunately, white pastors are most often ill-equipped to handle a hurt BIPOC. Their empathy and Christ-like compassion often runs dry for us. When your emotions are often deemed “too much,” crying is recovery, and if no one else allows space for that, we will. We will pastor each other.

Carole Rogers is an artist from New York, currently living in Orlando, Florida. She had a very intense year: Her race, as well as the effects of racism on her mental health, left her with many questions about faith—questions that are still unanswered. After leaving a spiritually abusive and racist church with a group of BIPOC friends, this project really hit home. At first she was afraid to take it on because she is still wrestling with her own faith in the wake of her trauma. However, in the end she thought that’s why she needed to do it—not only to help herself, but to bring a perspective from someone who is still struggling. The full conversation is important.