This is a collage of art representing “Fade in the Water,” an act of resistance and unity that resonated in Black social media spaces, Black personal spaces, and Black art imaginings–with direct linkages to Black resistances and cultural artifacts past and present. Below is a description from SankofaImpact.org.

‘It has been referred to as “Fade in the Water,” a word play that references the African American jubilee song “Wade in the Water,” which was sung to relay messages to escaped enslaved people that they should ‘wade in the water’ to lose the scent of the catcher’s dogs. History, as it always is in this country, is relevant.

By now, many of us are aware of the riverside brawl in Montgomery, Alabama that happened in August 2023. As a refresher, the melee began on a Saturday evening when a moored pontoon boat blocked the Harriott II riverboat from docking in its designated space along the city’s riverfront. The riverboat co-captain, a Black man, took another smaller vessel to shore to attempt to move the pontoon boat and was attacked by several white people from the private boat. Video showed the Black co-captain being punched and shoved. Crew members and others later confronted the pontoon boat party, and the brawl was in full swing.

Fade in the Water tapped into the deeply racialized history of America and its aftermath has produced numerous memes, online jokes, t-shirts, and even folding-chair shaped earrings. From inventing Gumbo to Hip Hop to Black Twitter, we have always made the most out of what we have.’ – https://sankofaimpact.org/fade-in-the-water/