How do we heal? Through an intimate exploration of trauma and healing, photographer Scheherazade Tillet shares how documenting her sister's recovery from sexual assault transformed both their lives while also inspiring her to work with similarly Black girls and young women. Two decades later, Tillet reveals that she discovered how photography and play can become powerful tools for healing intergenerational trauma. Through stunning visuals and compelling storytelling, she demonstrates how healing can start with an individual, only to ripple outward to transform entire families and communities. Her work, spanning from intimate family photographs to public art installations, shows how creative documentation can break silences and create spaces for collective recovery.

Scheherazade Tillet is an artist, curator, and feminist activist focusing on Blackness, play, freedom, trauma, and healing. She is the Executive Director of A Long Walk Home—an arts organization she co-founded in 2003 with her sister, Salamishah Tillet—which combats violence against girls and women and empowers young people to create a more peaceful world.

Tillet’s efforts center Black girls and young women who are vulnerable to gender violence and racial inequality, as she is a strong advocate for their healing and protection through systemic changes in our society. Her work has been showcased at distinguished institutions and featured in various major publications. Scheherazade is also the lead artist and curator of The Black Girlhood Altar installation, co-curator of “Picturing Black Girlhood: Moments of Possibility”, and has been honored as the 2025 Fellowship Recipient in Art by The Gordon Parks Foundation, a prestigious recognition for her impactful contributions.

Website: http://scheherazadetillet.com

Website: http://www.alongwalkhome.org