What the Heck Does Knitting Have To Do With Black Liberation?

When we think of knitting and crocheting, we see white grannies sitting in a rocking chair swaying back and forth while balls of yarn unravel on the floor. Mittens, booties, scarves and blankets are what’s on their mind as they lovingly create items for family and friends. If they’re in a group, their conversations may include what’s going with the grandkids and families but certainly not black liberation! But in a coffee house in south side St. Louis, MO a group of women have put this creative outlet to some radical use.

 From right: Taylor Payne, CheyOnna Sewell and two members of The Yarn Collective. 

Photograph: Sarah Kenzidor for the Guardian

Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce to you The Yarn Mission. The Yarn Mission is a collective group of knitting ladies mostly comprised of African American women which was formed in October 2014 in response to the violence and police brutality in the nearby Ferguson, Missouri.

The crafty activist group founded by CheyOnna Sewell, a PhD student in criminology, wants  to ignite conversations about race and police brutality with curious passersby as they knit. The knitters create a comforting atmosphere for beleaguered activists.

“As a black woman, you’re invisible,” says Taylor Payne, a member of the group. “But knitting makes people stop and have a conversation with you. If someone asks me what I’m doing, I say, ‘I’m knitting for black liberation.’ Sometimes they respond and sometimes I just get ‘Oh, my grandma knits,’ like the person didn’t hear me. But at least it opens the door to talking about my experiences.”

It’s not every day that you see a group of women outside in a public place knitting away and chatting about the ills of society. It goes to show that any platform can be used as a gateway to provoke thought and change.

“People consistently underestimate the power of knitting,” says Sewell. “They don’t recognize its radical properties. They’re always surprised when they talk to us about what why we’re knitting, like, ‘Is she talking about racism right now? Did she really just say ‘police brutality?’”

Most people who visit coffeehouses gather to either study or fellowship…not to knit. MoKaBe’s  coffeehouse is certainly changing that look as it is the frequent backdrop for the group. It’s also  the place where protesters were tear gassed as Ferguson burned last November.

Showing their support for the group, th

ey graciously display the ladies’ handiwork on a back room table. With labels such as “unity cowl” and a tag proclaiming: “Look at the cowl’s pattern and you will see the properties of unity. Even when we seem loose and spread out, we are connected.”

Sewell also believes that the Yarn Mission provides a platform for an under-represented group: black knitters.

“When you see images of women knitting on TV, they’re predominantly white,” she says. “When you go into a local yarn store, everyone is white. The concept of having time for leisure is predominantly white. As a black person you might not want to join an all-white knitting group, you might feel like it’s safer to censor yourself in those circumstances. But I always feel that anyone who wants to come here can. If you want to be the Yarn Mission, then you are the Yarn Mission.”

Knitting has always been a way of self-sufficiency and The Yarn Mission sees it not only as a way to create a source of income, but a way to reach out to the younger generation. They hope to shop their wares in farmers markets and craft expos.

Sewell will be relocating to Minneapolis and she plans to expand the group while Payne will teach knitting at the St Louis branch. Sewell hopes The Yarn Mission will one day become a national organization.

“Knitting can help you feel productive,” she adds. “When so much of what we do as activists is pursuing social and racial justice, it’s easy to feel like we’re not accomplishing anything. For me, the feeling that I’m finishing something is really critical.”  

Welp…what hobby can YOU use to create an open atmosphere of conversation of peace and unity?