“THE PAST IS STUDDED WITH SISTERS WHO, IN THEIR TIME, SHONE LIKE GOLD.” —Alice Walker

Through photos, multimedia storytelling, and other artistic endeavors, Toogood Stories is a platform for the untold stories experienced by Black women across time and geographies.

We draw inspiration from the creativity, collective meaning-making, vulnerability, and joy which emerges when Black women are present in spaces where they can freely express themselves.

Our commitment is to documenting, preserving, and making visible the many facets of Black women’s lives. In a world that actively seeks to rewrite and redact history, we refuse to allow Black women and their stories to be forgotten. We hold as sacred truth that retaining the memories of our ancestors, elders, and those living today, as well as their wisdom, is imperative for our futures–even if some of it is dreamt or imagined.

Toogood is proud to be a collective effort of a diverse group of Black women, femmes, and women-identified folk– several contributors to our projects have generously shared their time, lived experiences, and family photos with us. We are grateful that our work has been supported through grants from the Peace and Justice Studies Association and the Center for Cultural Innovation.

you’re invited!

Toogood works in collaboration with partners to bring thoughtful stories of Black women into the world. We are open to the diverse and global representations, meanings, and interpretations of Black womanhood. We also look for ways to connect everyone with opportunities to share stories about their Contact us if you would like to work together. We believe our stories are Toogood not to share!

About

At an early age, I noticed the lack of photos in my home. Nothing on the walls reflected who I was or where I came from.

It was at my maternal grandmother’s house where my life was on full display. She kept meticulous records—albums filled with pictures detailing names, locations, dates. The pictures fed my appetite for people, places, and things; ultimately my way of trying to make sense of who I was in the world.

I snuck several of those photos out of my grandmother’s albums when no one was looking. They are now part of my treasured keepsakes. Decades later, I understand that my work as a multidiscplinary artist is grounded in the desire to ensure the traditions, knowledge, and practices of Black women are shared across platforms and generations.

The name Toogood honors my grandmother’s sister, Helen Jordan Toogood, and her husband Charles Hilton Toogood. Charles was a decorated World War II combat pilot, one of the famed Tuskegee Airmen. Helen was free spirit, who followed her heart, and had great fashion sense (“she was fly,” my grandmother once said). Though Helen died at a young age before I was born, I like to believe she had good stories to tell.

—Kelly Macías

Wild Dreamer, Storyteller, and Curator of Toogood Stories

Me and my grandmother Louise, 1988