Project Abstract

Ain’t No Future If We Ain’t In It Liberated is a hybrid poetry exhibition created by Daschielle Louis, a creative writer, poet, digital illustrative artist, multidisciplinary educator, and experimental multimedia designer. The exhibition was made possible through an Artist Support Grant awarded in 2023 by the Broward County Cultural Division, as well as early support from The Hues Foundation in 2019 through a Poetry Fellowship. 

Daschielle Louis was born and raised in Broward County, Florida, within a Haitian and Afro-Caribbean American sphere of influence. Their work explores the connections between language, literacy, and societal development, particularly in transient societies where written language is shaped by individual linguistic abilities. 

Through the use of fluid folkloric horror, the poems in Ain’t No Future If We Ain’t In It Liberated delve into various themes including womanhood, blackness, mental, physical, and spiritual health and illness, as well as the interconnections to home in South Florida, Haiti, and Global South. Daschielle’s research interests include Black migration between the Caribbean and Florida, Black linguistic traditions, Caribbean literature (with a focus on Haitian literature written in Haitian Kreole/French), mental illness within the community, Black religions and spirituality, and the impact of climate change on community sustainability and growth. 

The collection of poems evokes raw emotions, challenges societal norms, and offers a poignant exploration of the multifaceted experiences of Black women in contemporary society. It addresses themes of identity, liberation, grief, relationships, exploitation, insecurity, vulnerability, and the longing for safety and belonging. Throughout the poems and exhibition, there is a call for resilience, unity, self-acceptance, self-love, and the assertion of Black identity, emphasizing the strength and power of Black women and the importance of community and collective resistance.