April 18, 2021

From Katie:

On April 18, 2021, my then-colleague's 20-year-old son, Robert Lee Toney Jr., was shot and killed in a gas station while back home in Cleveland, OH visiting his mom (my colleague Darlene). It turned out to be a case of mistaken identity: he and his car fit the description of someone else who had a hit out on him. It was absolutely shocking and devastating to my little community and everyone who knew this young man and his family. 

When I was (randomly) assigned the April 18, 2021 square, the difference between types of shots was stark to me: we were all excited to be at a place where COVID vaccines were finally being administered (I got my first on March 20 of that year and second on April 10), but another type of shot had ended a young man's life and forever altered the lives of those who loved him. 

Because of this, my April 18 square is about shots. The lighter lines that rise exponentially from the bottom left to top right represent the number of vaccines administered from the beginning of 2021 to April 18 of that year. The top, darker section represents (from top down, left to right, dripping not unlike blood), recorded gun violence deaths in the US on the same days. We see the shots that save and simultaneously the shots that kill. There were (blessedly) significantly more vaccines administered than recorded gun deaths, so the scales are not the same. 

I hope this offers more context into my design and adds a bit more to the overall important narrative around Stitching the Situation. It has been an honor to complete three blocks, but I have to say this was the most meaningful and therefore most difficult to complete given what it represents. 

Katie, thank you for your amazing work, and for sharing this deeply personal story with us. Our sincere condolences to Darlene and her family.