Pink Honey

Through the artist’s experiences and interviews with the Harlem Honey and Bears, Fadugba learned of their complex relationship to swimming---an activity that often excluded non- whites throughout American history. The artist noted this history of racism and exclusion by burning the paper. The burns refer to a 1964 incident in St. Augustine, FL, where a hotel owner poured acid on a group of Black and white protesters who refused to leave the whites- only pool. These swimmers function as a visual tool to explore the power of togetherness to defy the odds and transcend debilitating stereotypes, Fadugba added. These are not unrelated issues; they are inextricably intertwined with the history of this community, but what has brought them together is their love for swimming.