For this series of collages I wanted to emphasize that there’s no one face that defines a movement. I wanted people to look at these pieces and have the opportunity to reflect on the fact that at this point, any Black person could be killed by the cops any day, with them never seeing any sort of justice. Immigrants facing struggles with ICE aren’t just part of one ethnic group. ALL of us are affected by the issues facing the United States Postal Service. This upcoming election isn’t just about us as individuals, but us as a society. Vote early!

Feelzzz: At the center of each illustration is young Lizzy. Even though I was never out as a young person, not even to myself, I’m happy to revisit childhood me as a queer liberated adult. I’ve adorned myself with a “sagrada” name plate to further affirm queer humans as sacred. As mentioned previously, this is inspired by the “don’t say gay” bills & alll the other homophobic & transphobic rampant across the so-called U.S. Even as a deeply closeted young person, I felt my spirit die many times as heteronormativity was reinforced, as I witnessed homophobia from my family, etc. so, my heart breaks for the young people of today & the future whose lives are quite literally at stake. Especially considering the high rates of suicide amongst LGBTQ+ youth.

I wanted this image to represent the unity between voters by holding a vote together. I also wanted to have a sea of our community in the background to really amplify the importance of community work. By spreading awareness and educating more and more our community on how important voting is, we can continue to make crucial changes.

For this piece I wanted to create a photo collage that embraced a sense of play, dreaming, nature, rest and expansion. I went to a carnival a few weeks ago and was reminded of how much more feels possible when I'm flying through the air. As we get older and have to hustle so hard to survive it's easy to forget that we're really just soft and tender people who need space for joy, rest, and play.

Water and Land are the source and sustenance to all life. It is alarming to know what will become of our earth if we do not change our habits. Destruction of our failure to manage our resources in a sustainable way is nearing devastation. Indigenous peoples across Turtle Island and across the globe remind us how this can be changed. Examples of living in harmony with nature, respecting earth and her resources, adapting to her conditions, and being able to innovate environmentally in sustainable ways. We have the right to clean water and ancestral land. There are ways of protecting and safeguarding it through education, demonstrating, even voting.

For democracy to work for all of us, it must include us all. A place where freedom is for everyone, and where we all have an equal say. ”For this design it was important to capture the energy of now. We are in urgent times and the art must reflect that.” Originally commissioned as part of the Center’s 2020 Movement to the Ballot Box campaign, Neka’s “Get Free” and words of freedom and urgency ring just as true today as they did in August 2020.

The ability to vote is the most basic tenet of our democracy, yet it is intentionally used to undercut marginalized members of our community. Codification of racism, disenfranchisement, and exclusion are a calculated and willful feature of our lawmaking systems. This illustration celebrates the ability to vote and our capacity to create radically participatory systems that reflect values of inclusivity and belonging.

Voting is one of the many powerful tools we can use to disrupt the status quo and build new worlds for our community. Whether we’re fighting for trans inclusive healthcare or working to get public lands back into the stewardship of indigenous leaders, voting cannot be overlooked.

The illustration is of a person of Filipino descent, they have brown skin, wide nose and their skin is adorned with tattoos that pay homage to indigenous tribes in the Philippines. They are wearing earrings that symbolize fertility. They have butterfly wings as a sign of rebirth and they are sitting on a “banig”: a traditional woven mat, and is surrounded by nature/flowers. Their hands are over their heart and womb, with an expression of love and gratitude. The text above sits on a rainbow says "My body is sacred. My body belongs to me. I vote to remain free."