Written by: Katie Dietzel, Public Relations Intern
Photo by Ingrid Damiani
Princess Simpson Rashid is a contributing artist for LIFT: Contemporary Expressions of the African American Experience which presents a modern response to Jacksonville’s African American Heritage, while using the lyrics to James Weldon Johnson and John Rosamond Johnson’s Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing as inspiration.
Princess Rashid, Ring with the Harmonies of Liberty, 2016, Monotype with Akua Intaglio ink, 28 ½ x 24 ½ in.
Rashid is a painter, printmaker, blogger, art-activist, competitive sport-fencer, and coach. Rashid was born in Atlanta, Georgia. She went on to study print making and painting at Escuela de Artes Plastica (The School of Plastic Arts) in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and she later earned her bachelor’s degree in physics from Georgia State University. She currently resides in Tampa, Florida with her husband and two children.
Princess Rashid, Silent Tears, 2016, 28 ½ x 24 ½ in.
African American children of Rashid’s generation considered Lift Evr’y Voice and Sing as an anthem to their community. To her, the song embodies her history as an ethnic American and her hope and pride as a minority.
“When the lyrics are juxtaposed with current events in this country, it is clear that the poem is still relevant and necessary. Our country is strengthened when empathy causes us all to stand up and lift our voices together for justice and the harmonies of liberty,” says Rashid.
To learn more about Princess Simpson Rashid visit her website.
