“‘Traditional African philosophy teaches that the physical departure of breath from the body does not constitute the death of the individual, it merely makes that person “a human being without life”…the spirit and the life force…lives on’ Zadia Ife, ‘The African Diasporan Ritual Mode’, 1993

Honoring our ancestors as African people in the Diaspora is a way to stay connected with our cultural, spiritual and historical roots. Developing and keeping an altar is a way to remember and to honor ones ancestry. For Jan and Theresa, keeping the memory of their ancestors is executed through quilting, fiber work, foods and family recipes as well as expression in visual art forms.” 

-Theresa Polley-Shellcroft and Jan Collins Eaglin