This hoodie celebrates the life and legacy of Mary Ann Shadd Cary, with a pocketed design and Toronto History Museums logo on the top left front. On the back you will find an image of this inspiring figure. Luxurious yet casual, this hoodie will have you turning heads in comfort and style.
- Made from 70% cotton, 30% polyester blend
- Preshrunk and pill resistant
- Printed in Canada
- Unisex sizing
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Care instructions: Machine wash at a low heat. Wash garments inside-out, with similar colours. Do not use bleach or fabric softeners. Tumble dry on a low cycle. Hang-dry for longer life. Cool iron inside-out. Do not iron directly on the print. Do not dry clean.
Yung Yemi, Mary Ann Shadd, 2021
This work pays tribute to Mary Ann Shadd Cary (1823-1893), an American Canadian anti-slavery activist, journalist, publisher, teacher, and lawyer. Mary Ann Shadd was the first black woman publisher in North America and the first woman publisher in Canada. To honor her legacy, Toronto History Museums has created a range of exclusive products that will be sold at our museum stores and online.
Yung Yemi’s image is full of inspiring symbolism, including: a quilted shawl referencing underground railroad safehouses; purple, white, and gold colors symbolizing women's suffrage; a star on her crown representing the North Star of freedom; and oAdinkra symbols from Ghana’s Ashanti peoples on her earrings for wisdom, knowledge, freedom, and independence. The asterisk pattern on her inner shawl represents her authorship in her publication--she did not initially put her name on the paper to avoid the scrutiny she would face as a woman publisher.
About the Artist
Yung Yemi, also known as Adeyemi Adegbesan, is a Toronto-based multi-disciplinary artist whose practice aims to examine the cultural intersectionalities within Black identity. Reflecting on Black cultural ideologies from pre-colonial, colonial, present-day and future timelines; across regions, religions, varying levels of income and political lines, Adegbesan examines the dichotomy of the richness of Black experiences with the imposed societal homogeneity of ‘Blackness’. Through his work Adegbesan pulls from these varying elements to create Afro-futuristic portraits that embody themes of history, fantasy, speculative futures, and spirituality.