interview by Abigail Glasgow, edited by Meghan Racklin
"When the team behind Paint Me A Road Out of Here asked us to think about the painting by Faith Ringgold as part of the documentary, I automatically went back to where I was when it was in the Rose M. Singer Center. It wasn’t in plain sight. So, the first time I really saw it was when we went to the Brooklyn Museum with Mary. And we all analyzed it. The first thing that stood out to me was the images. Faith was so far ahead of her time, looking at careers that women could one day hold. People couldn't fathom it then. A woman as a police officer? A doctor? Not in the 70s. Seeing what she envisioned for us makes me think about today, and the roles that we play as advocates. She had a vision. So how could we fail? She paved the road for us. And I'm a very visual learner. If I see it, I'll never forget it. Faith was like a caped crusader, and that painting gave people hope. And the thing about it is, when you're in Rosies, you're dealing with so much trauma, you're dealing with going back and forth to court, you can't really see the hope in the painting. But now being outside, you can actually look and see where she was going with it, and why she put these images in a jail.
At the documentary’s premiere in D.C., I cried the whole time. Because I felt like Faith was talking to me. She was like an angel. In those situations, you feel like you're so broken. But her painting said this is only part of your journey. I always think about the metamorphosis. You go in broken, but you come out beautiful."
![Paint Me a Road Out of Here (2025) [Official Trailer]](https://gallery.eomail4.com/f3898718-2441-11ef-84d7-f36c588d868e%2Fvideo-thumbnail%2Fd92d62b6097903ca4166c41727393187_0.jpg)
