Inspired by the poem "The Talking Back of Miss Valentine Jones,” by June Jordan, Shavon Aja Morris presents a series of photographic collage works at Houston Museum of African American Culture that repurpose found imagery to offer a renewed encounter with the Black American woman. Predominantly sourced from vintage issues of Ebony Magazine and spanning both the past and present, Morris invites us to reconsider our understanding of resilience.

Additionally, she connects us to the theory of "genetic memory," a profound revelation suggesting that environmental memories persist in our genes and DNA for 14 generations. Through simple yet impactful compositions and the use of traditional silver gelatin print processes, Morris visually narrates the intricacies of a woman’s lived experience. Her technique involves finding, ripping, layering, and manipulating found images, ultimately transforming them into meaningful visual statements. With audio from June Jordan's poem permeating the exhibition space, Shavon Aja Morris invites visitors into a hauntingly beautiful immersive experience.

Highlighted works in this exhibition include:

"Cool as the jewels I would wear on bareskin for you" (2024)

"I wanted to surf, dive, fly, climb, conquer and be conquered" (2024)

"Momma! Sing to me?" "Ma! Am I gone die?" (2024)