Haiti & Sa Voix
There is much that I can say, and many things I learned in my time in Haiti but I will keep it brief and let the photos and videos speak.
I went to Haiti with Sa Voix, which began when Jessica met Renise and they decided to start a business together.
Jessica recruited Morgann, from a well worn story to bring an industrial sewing machine and teach Renise how to sew bags.
I came along to help document.
It was a crash course in fashion design and I learned a lot about the fashion industry that made me want to make more informed choices in what I buy.
Now when I remove a t-shirt from my dresser I am reminded that somewhere someone’s hands made it.
At one point we drove two hours into the mountains on a day the US embassy advised travelers not to drive on the roads. Rioters and tire fires were prevalent, a sign of undeniable protest to the current political climate.
We made that trip anyway to get leather, one component to the bags that Renise and Morgan had designed.
The leather was from Haiti Made Co. and all of their leather products use 100% real leather sourced from a local Haitian tannery.
Haiti Made Co. was started as a social enterprise to employ young men who are leaving Hands and Feet Orphanage. The artisans are true craftsman that take pride in each cut, stitch, and finish.
The actual canvas that makes-up the bag is white canvas that is painted in art therapy experiences hosted by Jessica, whose background began as an art educator.
During the trip I watched as Jessica painted with the girls at “Haiti Under God” girls orphanage.
The paintings made by the hands of orphan girls, becomes the bag.
Every part of Sa Voix is made with pride and intention and the canvas itself becomes a vehicle for healing.
Being a part of this journey, seeing the skill and craft that went into each bag, meeting the people whose artistry makes them possible- made me wonder about the story sewn into everything I wear.
“I’ve been praying to the dark matter
That holds the stars in space
Please keep our girls safe
I’ve been crying out to the night air
‘Let us know discernment’
’Let us seek duality’ inside our human psyche
Let us reflect light
or hope
or whatever other cliché’
that ultimately means
’More than giving up’. . .
I’ve been screaming back at old books
Ripping up ancient words
I still haven’t found God yet
But I believe in my breath
Believe in souls with fingerprints
Young gods with cosmos corneas
& genetic mutations that save entire races
What has been lost to history?
Creole hymns sung to kingdom come
Abandoned for short hand terminology
We move forward into the mystery
Choosing how we see our species
7 billion worker bees
Changing career objectives
Facing midlife crises
Finding unfulfilled lives
When adding only to the productivity of the hive.
I want to see the paintings
I want to hear the symphonies
Anytime I devalue someone else
I subtract from me.
We’re not worthy
Unless we’re all worthy.”
