robin sanders.
love is the new black
To truly see the complexity and splendor of black culture and life it is important to view them with a broad lens and resist the temptation of narrowing through harmful stereotypes and trite portrayals. Black people have never been, nor will they ever be monoliths. In fact, it is their ingenuity and diversity that have not only sustained them in the face of enslavement and terrorism, but also expanded black narratives and created a deep and dense culture. My latest project, Love is the New Black, explores and celebrates that depth and density by giving voice to broader narratives and perspectives centered in the affirmation and healing of black life.
In my new short film, I focused on an element of black spirituality that examined aspects of a rising spiritual reclamation of black women. In a recent SwatTalk short interview with Yvonne Chireau, Associate Professor of Religion at Swarthmore College and author of Black Magic: Religion and the African American Conjuring Tradition (2006), she most fittingly described this time as a “revival…an ancestral recovery- people turning back to styles and ways of practicing religion that their great great grandparents might have practiced.” With this work, I focused specifically on the aspect of reclamation that entailed an exodus from the traditional Christian faith into a practice of ancestral rituals, African heritage religions, and Christian tenets.
During my time of examination and creating, what unfolded was a canon of beautiful stories with a divine connection. Threaded through each one were themes of healing, affirmation, restoration, and freedom. I found black women pursuing paths of peace and creating holistic systems that felt like home. Many were looking to the past to find answers for the present. This piece blends the many stories I had the privilege of hearing and tells one story. Love is the New Black venerates our ancestors while paying homage to their spiritual practices and forges a way forward for diverse religious expressions for black women from Christianity to Ifa to hoodoo.
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Citation: Sanders, Robin. “Love Is the New Black." SPIRIT HOUSE: A Crossroads Project. October 2023. Date Accessed. https://www.crossroads-spirithouse.org/sanders.
Robin Sanders is a profound performing artist, educator, writer, and speaker whose imaginative and intelligible works explore and celebrate culture and community. Sanders is a graduate of Liberty University where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Communication Studies in 2001. After graduation, Sanders toured as the lead dancer and choreographer for national and international recording artist Nicole C. Mullen. Sanders went on to tour as choreographer and performer for CIY Tours and founded Out Loud Artistry, a performing arts training and mentorship program, in 2009.
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Sanders has shared her love for movement and culture as artist in residence at Bates College, Bowdoin College College, and New Ballet Ensemble. Her catalog contains noteworthy commissioned work that includes: “See What I’m Sayin’ & “At the Geffen,” live spoken word performances at the Geffen Playhouse’s “Backstage at the Geffen” for honorees Morgan Freeman and Jeff Skoll; “Honor Thy Mother” a live spoken word performance for the TED International Conference; and “New Ancients,” a spoken word performance for a feature short-film on Hulu’s May I Have Your Attention Please.
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Pre-pandemic, Sanders toured as a performer, writer, and creative director for Love Heals All Wounds, an evening-length dance and spoken word production that has been highlighted in L.A. Times, New York Times, and Miami Herald. Sanders earned her Master's of Public Service Leadership with a concentration in Management of Nonprofit Organizations from Capella University in 2011. She currently serves as the co-director and founder of Art of Family. Additionally, she is developing two new works entitled Love Is the New Black and Bodied, a Broadway style play, created in collaboration with Movement Art Is.
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