Freedom Quilting Bee Legacy (FQBL) board member Loretta Pettway Bennett was among others to be named in Southern Living's 2023 "Southerners of the Year" list.
The list annually celebrates trailblazers throughout the South and, in addition to Alabama, includes honorees from Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee this year.
Bennett began sewing when she was a child, taking after her mother who joined the Freedom Quilting Bee collective during the 1960s in Alberta. It was a way of making a living for many black women who experienced discrimination when registering to vote.
The collective closed in 2011 but the FQBL formed in 2021 to honor its history. The building that the FQB operated in is now being restored as a museum and regularly hosts quilting classes.
“[Quilting] is an inheritance that we were given,” Bennett was quoted in the list. “We need to continue the tradition of sewing and making things with our hands. Most people don’t have wealth or jewelry to pass on, but at least we have a craft.”
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.