Celebrating the artists at the forefront of a Black aesthetic renaissance and how they harness the arts to shape a freer future
In the wake of the murder of George Floyd by Derek Chauvin of the Minneapolis Police Department and the death of Regis Korchinski-Paquet during a health episode attended by Toronto Police Services in the turbulent summer of 2020, communities rose up in rage, grief, and resistance. Alongside mass protests came an outpouring of creative expression by Black artists, producing art that helped make sense of the moment and mobilize for change.
Today, as anti-Black violence persists—fueled by the rise of white supremacy and fascism, even within the highest levels of government—Black artists, too, persist in painting, dancing, drawing, writing, and expressing their outrage and hope.
Free to Be More honours the creative revolutionary labour of Black artists, past and present. This vibrant collection of essays, poems, images, and interviews affirms the deep connection between art and activism. More than that, it’s a testament to how art can amplify a movement and offer tools to gather, organize, and enact transformative interventions in anti-Black racism.
Continuing and expanding the conversation from the bestselling Until We Are Free, Free to Be More brings together contributions from Rodney Diverlus, Ravyn Wngz, Aisha Sasha John, Camille Turner, and other visionary artists to serve as both a singular creative archive and a rallying cry for future changemakers.
INTRODUCTION PART ONE: Black Arts, Abolition and Activism Black Boots_ —Britta B DEFUND Poster Series—Anna Jane McIntyre, Sandra Brewster, Camille Turner, Kara Springer, Elicser Elliott, Ifetayo Alabi Decolonial Frameworks by Black Arts Leaders—d'bi.young anitafrika “She Carried with Her… A Large Bundle of Wearing Apparel Belonging to Herself.”: Slave Dress as Resistance in Portraiture and Fugitive Slave Advertisements Vagabond: On Movement and Change Making—Rodney Diverlus, Syrus Marcus Ware The Art of Step: Roots, Resistance and the Rich Culture of Step in Montreal—Kayin Queeley, Natasha ""Tashe"" Clery, Ra'anaa Yaminah Ekundayo From Boys to Men—Anthony Gebrehiwot Framing the North: Black Arts Beyond the Metropolis—Isak Vaillancourt, Ra'anaa Yaminah Ekundayo Activist Wallpaper Series—Syrus Marcus Ware PART TWO: Our Practice//How We Create The Spiritual Artist—Winsom Winsom, d'bi.young anitafrika esu crossing the middle passage—d'bi.young anitafrika We Gather—Erica N. Cardwell, Sandra Brewster The Zoo: Abolition, Filmmaking, Art and uprisings from 2016-2024—Kyisha Williams, Syrus Marcus Ware Decolonize Love—King Kxndi Nave—Camille Turner Fugitive Sound Art: Sound as Refusal, Sound as Refuge—jamilah abu-bakare Unheard Voices: Theatre and the Black Deaf Experience—Syrus Marcus Ware, Ra'anaa Yaminah Ekundayo, Natasha ""Courage"" Bacchus LEARN TO LOVE YOUR LITTLE WHOLE—Aisha Sasha John Introspective Retrospective—Ravyn Wngz, d'bi.young anitafrika PART THREE: Living As If We’re Already There On Writing 2025: Light Years from Now—Syrus Marcus Ware The Afrofuturist Dreamscape: Black Cultural Identity—Yung Yemi, Ra'anaa Yaminah Ekundayo Betrayal of Trust | Heart Castaway | Artspace | On Hope—Kyon Ferril The Archive as Living Entity: Notes from Yamayeka—Kanika Gordon Black digital angels—Kim Ninkuru Winter | Black Futures—Kayode Jonathan Akande Force and Form: doing what I can’t to reshape the discourse on police brutality—Pauline Lomami Creative Reflections The Four Queens—Simone Elizabeth Saunders Maroon Child: Mobility of Imagination—Theodore Walker Robinson « PHANTASY no. 3 »—Ryan Ad Ice Cream Dreams—Janine Carrington They say we can’t breathe underwater—Nicole Gordon CONCLUSION
Syrus Marcus Ware is a Vanier Scholar, visual artist, activist, curator, educator, and co-founder of Black Lives Matter Canada. An assistant professor at the School of the Arts, McMaster University, he is the co-editor of the bestselling Until We Are Free: Reflections on Black Lives Matter in Canada. He lives in Tkaronto. Dr. Ra’anaa Yaminah Ekundayo (ABD) is a multimedia activist scholar who co-founded and currently chairs Black Lives Matter Sudbury. Dr. d’bi.young anitafrika is an African Jamaican Dubpoet, playwright, performer, and educator. A triple Dora Award winner and author of twelve plays, seven books, and seven Dub poetry albums, they are also the founding Artistic Director of the Watah Theatre and founding Educational Director of the Black Theatre School, both located in Toronto.
Reviews for Free To Be More: Creative Activism in the Era of Black Lives Matter
“A treasure trove of creation & struggle.” -- Sandy Hudson “More than a book, this is your invitation to join a gathering steeped in hope.” -- Dr. Natalie Wall, author of Black Expression and White Generosity: A Theoretical Framework of Race
