For this exhibition, Literary Muse, I was inspired to create a piece that reflected on Beverly Daniel Tatum’s book, Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?. Tatum is an educator and clinical psychologist who is known nationally for her work regarding racial identity. While she touched on many aspects of race in the book, my attention was zeroed in on the bit of information that had relation with the title. This idea that people will group with others who are similar to them. Not by choice, but naturally they gravitate towards one another. When people are in a situation where they feel invalidated by those different from them, they will draw near to those who can sympathize with their emotions and experiences. This is the main inspiration for my piece Oluma x Chimdi x Anwi. The title itself is a combination of the names of the three girls. They happen to be girls from my church and are also close friends. I wanted their friendship to stand as an example to show how people who have similarities in culture and lifestyle find comfort when they come together. Just as Tatum stated, “We need to understand that in racially mixed settings, racial grouping is a developmental process in response to an environmental stressor, racism. Joining with one’s peers for support in the face of stress is a positive coping strategy.” When faced with worries and issues, people find comfort from those who have gone through what they are dealing with. They find comfort in knowing that someone is just like them. They find comfort in knowing that they are not alone.