Erika Riley

This painting represents the tradition of my family's annual trip to the east coast to visit my grandparents. There are seven generations of black Canadians on this side of my family, of which my grandparents will likely be the last to reside in Nova Scotia. It took a lot of strength for my family to make it to the east coast of Canada, and it likely took a lot of strength for my grandparents to move to Ontario, where they met. I didn’t used to understand why they went back to Nova Scotia when they had built a life and family in Toronto, but as I got older, I began to understand. I feel tied to this place, and a year without making the trip feels like a bit like a betrayal.
While I don't live there, there is something about sinking my feet into the mud of the bay of Fundy that feels like home. It is a place where so many relatives reside, I can't help but feel like I belong. I watch strangers collecting clams all day and I feel like I know them.