The Southern Swing is an immersive installation that delves into themes of healing and social justice within the African American experience. It encompasses a porch environment with historical and supernatural elements, including hand-shaped sculptures crafted from wild clay from lynch sites, a sweet tea stand featuring an herbal remedy, and garlands of dried herbs and live foliage. Although the scene may be beautiful, each element conveys a story of grief and what may be considered a tragedy. The clay elements- the hands and the sample cups for the herbal remedy – were made with clay from various lynch sites. Throughout the year, I visited all five lynch sites within Davidson County, gathered dirt, and transformed it into clay pieces. The creation of this show involved not only the transformation of materials but also my own transformation. As a black woman, I had to reckon with the history of racial injustice and grief that affects me personally. On the porch swing, I carved the names of the five people honored with the clay pieces – Henry and Ephraim Gizzard, Jo Reed, Sam Smith, and David Jones – as well as Vanderbilt students who have passed and people whose deaths affected me personally. However, grief is never the end of the story. The Southern Swing is a place for healing. Inspired by Zora Neale Hurston’s portrayal of the porch as a gathering place for storytelling and community connection, the swing serves as a focal point for reflection and storytelling. The garden in front of the swing features plants that are traditional to African American women’s gardens during Reconstruction and the Jim Crow Era, some of which were grown with dirt gathered from Davidson County’s lynch sites. For the herbal remedy, I collaborated with Master Herbalist Iya Angelique Sonbande Greer, founder of the NCB School of Herbalism and Holistic Health, to create a unique blend to remedy grief. Participants can drink the tea through clay sample cups made by participants of Rooted in Clay, a class I created that provides black students an uplifting place to learn ceramics and meditate. Through this installation, I aim to evoke reverence for nature and prompt critical reflections on racial violence and resilience in African American communities, inviting attendees to connect with history and culture in a space designed to inspire empathy and understanding.