Ain’t I a ____? explores how Black women and non-binary individuals are (re)defining what gender expression means and looks like for them whether that be through fashion, romance, or family — all of which are extremely gendered.
The project title is a play on Black abolitionist and activist Sojourner Truth’s speech, “Ain’t I a Woman,” given during a women’s rights convention in 1851. During her speech, Truth addressed the inequalities Black women faced at the time, essentially asking: are Black women not women? Are we not human?
While this project isn’t civil rights-focused, it was inspired by Truth, as well as Ruhamaiah’s experiences as a Black queer woman, furthering this line of questioning for contemporary audiences. What does it mean to be a “woman” today?
The removal of woman is indicative of how this project is redefining womanhood. The inclusion of gender-expansive individuals in the project seeks to examine gender in the 21st Century: how we define it and what we can learn from those who live and love outside so-called “traditional” constructs.
Ruhamaiah conceived this project in the hopes it might spark a deeper conversation about gender and expression, femininity and masculinity, and womanhood. Joy, respect, and care for the subjects portrayed is central to Ruhamaiah’s work.
(This project is ongoing and evolving)