Tattoo Stories Amplifying Social Justice, Civil Rights and Family

 Welcome to your ink story, Whitney. I'm so delighted you're here to share your ink stories. Thank you.  Listeners. I know Whitney from online. She has an amazing podcast. We're going to get into all those details, but before we dive into your ink. stories. Whitney, please let folks know where you're from and how you glow in the world.

Yeah. So I'm actually a native Seattleite. But I am now living in Atlanta and  I do many things. So I am an attorney. And I just left the world of practicing civil rights law. But I'm very much still involved in social justice related legal advocacy and social advocacy in my area. I am in anti racism and D.E. I. Facilitator, practitioner, teacher and I'm really getting into that more as I transition out of law. I really love teaching and talking about race and equity and relating across cultures and across races. And I am a podcast host. And the name of my podcast is Impostrix podcast, where we reframe imposter syndrome and we validate professionals of color. And that's been a passion project of mine now for eight or nine months. I kind of just had this random idea to start a podcast and. Wanted to reach people. I wanted this information to be accessible. Because when I'm doing my trainings, I'm hired by employers to come in and speak to employees.

And sometimes I want to be a little bit more frank or sometimes I want to be a little bit more targeted at the workers. But realizing that workers don't always have money to pay for these services, I wanted to provide an accessible and free way to be able to educate and engage with people around race and culture and career and just how we operate how we get through the imposter syndrome and all that.

So, yeah. It's murky waters that you are helping people navigate and folks I will have the links to Whitney's everything how you can follow her on social media But also tune in to her podcast Impostrics Yeah Impostrics I have to tell you Whitney what I love the most about your podcast that I left this on my Apple Podcast review for your show.

It is the caliber of the conversation. You keep it bold, but at a level that we need to rise to in the conversation. It's a high caliber experience, yet something that's easily digested. If that makes sense, listeners, it is so important. And you know, you don't want to hide in your workspace. There's ways to be seen.

And not be invisible and the conversations that Whitney has on her podcast will empower you And help you so be sure to tune in Okay, Whitney now that we know thank you for that. That's i'm so glad That's what you get out of it because that's the point. The show It centers people of color, and  I say frequently that we're in this together and it takes all of us.

So although we center people of color, white folks. Folks of the,  majority for , wherever you live are, certainly welcome to be in the space and I think it's a great opportunity for us to learn about other perspectives and experiences without the pressure of having to. Not only that, to find the impeccable words to use when you do need to stand up and for those of us who are white, we need to know how and the best way to be anti racists at work and with our family.

and friends and have the words that will sink in, that will create change, that will raise consciousnesses. That's a word. , and that's important too, because sometimes we know we want to say something, but we're like, we need to say, and that's, what's so helpful. And the conversations that you're having on Impostrics on the podcast are.

Just wonderful and impactful. But now we get to dive into your incredible tattoo stories, folks, you know, I'm going to have a real showcasing Whitney's amazing tattoos over on Instagram at tell me your ink story. You'll be able to see it there. Whitney. What inspired you to get that first tattoo, that first origin tattoo?

What is that story? Yeah. So my very first tattoo is a coca Peli. I don't know if you're familiar with coca Peli, but he's the Pueblo Indian God of music, dancing, fertility, and good fortune. And the reason why I got coca Peli ties back to my family. We don't have. Native origin, but  my parents got divorced in my senior year of high school is when they separated.

And actually the day after our senior prom was when we physically separated from my father. Yeah, it sucked. And I got this tattoo my first year in college and. It was a reminder to me of my family unit because my parents both are big baseball fans. Growing up, we would go to the Mariners games and we would also go to their spring training.

Their spring training was in Arizona, in Peoria. And whenever we went there, my mother loved coca cola. And my father loved turquoise, like the stone. And so we would pick up this jewelry or these little keepsakes or rugs or  anything that had coca Peli on it.

And it really reminded me of this. These trips growing up where my family would be together, we would be happy. We would go on these searches for specific things , that we all liked. And so I got the coca Peli, I got it behind my ear. And  that's my first tattoo. Wow, behind your ear, weren't you afraid?

Like, ouch. I mean, yes, but it's small. So, you know, I felt like it was a good starter. It's a good starter. And what was it like, how did you choose the studio to go to? And did you bring a photo or one of your favorite Cocapelli images over the years and say, this is the version I want? Yeah. So I brought a key chain that I had.

And I, if I recall, the studio was just well known in the area. And so it was just in Seattle or I went to, it was in Bellingham, Washington, because I went to Western Washington University for the first couple of years. And how old were you? 18. There we go, folks. And as you may recall, listeners in episode 22, Melissa Rivera said, if you're in the chair.

At the age of 18, you're a lifer. I had wanted a tattoo, you know, for a while. And I've been listening to your show and hearing about people who have gotten their tattoos, before it was legal or with their parents and my parents were not going to sign off on that. Although story later, cause my dad eventually did.

But. So I had to wait till I was 18. Yeah. And what was their first reaction? Cause listeners, you know, we have the horrified mom stories again and again, my baby's beautiful body. Yeah, no, they didn't, they didn't react that way with this one. Because, you know, I think this one is small, it's tucked away.

It wasn't going to be a professional issue type of thing, which I think is really,  , their concerns were more about professionalism. I think then. Something happening on my body. Cause  this was kind of my entry into tattoos and piercings. And now when you look at me, like I don't have most of the piercings that I would go on to get, but I was a very at that point in my life into expressing myself through body art and creativity.

I'm always amazed listeners. First episode with Madeline Sklar. Her mom was just feminist pro you do you, but even she was like, it comes down to, I think what many parents, the memos that they get is you want your children to be accepted in society. And there's the indoctrination that tattoos. will make it harder for you.

And so I just love that folks like you just go, yeah, whatever. I'm still going to be me full expressed. And I am into that tattoo. Now, did this start a beginning of a tattoo journey that happened? Again and again and again, or did you wait for some years and decide to give it more thought?

Tell us more about the journey and more about your beautiful pieces. Yeah, so I have a total of five tattoos and most of my tattoos Happened during this four year period four or five year period around that aid that started when I was 18   I got the tattoos that I did not send you a picture of, but I do not like, I'm not proud of tattoos, I have that.

The apprentice tattoo, I have that.  It's a free apprentice tattoo. So, I think those of you who have gotten those know what I'm talking about. And then,  I traveled a little bit and I got tattoos while traveling. And that all culminated with the piece on my arm that I got while I was in law school, which is my lady justice.

And then I didn't get a tattoo for a good 11, 12 years. And so my most recent tattoo is on my arm of the numbers 10, 14.  I was going to ask you about that. Listeners,  my guests usually send me pictures of their tattoos before we get started. And I was wondering what did that date mean?

Yes. So it's my birthday, October 14th. , but when you see the picture, it's formatted. In the numbers of  a digital clock. And the reason why I did that is because I am a twin. I have a twin sister. She lives in California and unfortunately we are estranged right now.

Which is very, very difficult for me. And .  This was our first birthday that just recently passed where we have not been in communication and when we separated for college, this weird thing happened where for both of us, anytime we would look at the clock, it would happen to be 10, 14.

Wow. And it was something that made us think of each other. It made me feel connected to her. And so, although I know that this is a point in my life where, , we can't be in each other's lives, unfortunately getting this tattoo was a way for me to feel connected to her on our birthday and to remember just the connection that we do have.

I'm sorry about the separation and I understand sometimes we have to cut the cord for whatever reason with family of origin and it's not easy. And society doesn't want to hear about it, but I think for you to acknowledge it, and as a reminder for you, I believe it's on your right arm. Yeah, on the inside there and to know because a twin from what we all hear is a special relationship.

It's not just any sibling. You shared the womb with this person. I am so sorry.  It's lovely that you're able to still acknowledge that relationship through the 1014 and it's in red, right? It's red. Yes. Which I was nervous about because , I'm a black woman and I am relatively dark skin.

And so I was nervous about it showing up because most of my other tattoos. Okay. The apprentice tattoo has color mistake. Since that tattoo, I had not gotten any color. And so this was my first tattoo with color since then. And I'll say Andy, that it was actually listening to your show that encouraged me to go ahead and get it because what happened was I I'm somebody that's in recovery and , my last tattoo for that period of time where I was getting tattoos was a tattoo that I got my first year of sobriety, my last year of law school.

It meant a lot to me and  some of my other tattoos, they all mean something, but for whatever reason I got in my mind at that point that if I was going to get tattoos moving forward, they were going to be well thought out elaborate and like super cool pieces of art and not just some words, you know, in my head, not that words can't be art, obviously but yeah.

 But I've been wanting a tattoo. I've been wanting another tattoo. I just have been waiting for the right image to come up in my mind, the right ideas and meaning. And then many of us have this thought of like, I'm going to sit with this idea for six months or for a year to make sure that I still want it before I put it on my body.

And I had gotten into , that framework. I don't really know why. So that's kept me from getting a tattoo for all of these years. And I was listening to your show. I forget which episode it was, but it was just a conversation around. This idea of the tattoo symbolizes a time of your life, a specific point, a specific event, or it can right.

 It's not something. That needs to be on your body and true for the rest of your life or reflective of who you are, you know, 20, 30, 40 years from now. And that kind of triggered something in me. Like I, I swear I was riding down the road, , heard that and was like, okay, on my birthday, I'm getting this tattoo.

It's going to say 1014. It's going to be a clock,  digital.

And what's really cool, Whitney, is that you started this whole conversation and it was 14  10, , , on the time here too. So it was just fascinating. Thank you for sharing that story. Talk a little bit about the Lady Justice tattoo. What is involved there? Mm hmm. Yeah. So the Lady Justice tattoo is the one that I was mentioning that I got my last year of law school and my first year of sobriety.

It's a arm piece. It's like a partial sleeve on my upper left arm and it. It's a portrait piece of many faces. My sister actually drew the Lady Justice there. She's an artist and she drew a picture of Lauryn Hill that I really loved. And so I took that picture to the tattoo artist and he made this portrait.

Based off of,  what she had drawn. And so my lady justice, so in the law lady justice it's the symbol of American jurisprudence of this idea that justice is blind. And  she usually has scales and a sword, and then she has a blindfold on. I am someone that doesn't believe in blind justice.

And the reason why is because. In this country where we start as far as our baseline for how we consider things for what our perspective is, is a perspective , of whiteness of white culture and of this white supremacist culture, not white supremacy as in the KKK, but  the culture of white is right and taking on the values of the dominant racial group and gender.

And gender. Exactly. Male, white, European. Exactly. So if justice is blind in that respect, then the place that we're starting with is from a perspective that is not a perspective that I share. That is not a reality that I share. So I don't think that our justice should be blind. I think that. People's circumstances, people's situations the situation of what happened.

I think all of those things should be taken into account. And I also, don't really believe in an eye for an eye. I believe in reparation and restoration. I believe in forgiveness and humility and all of these things that our justice system largely doesn't believe in. It's a punitive and just very harsh.

System. Very harsh, very shame on you. Unless, you're privileged. Right. And there was no way. Right. And one of the pillars that our legal system was built on was rehabilitation. And we don't really see that play out in this current iteration of how our justice system works. And so all of that to say that as I was leaving law school and preparing to be an attorney, these were values that I wanted to remain close as I entered the profession and  I spent my time as an attorney doing legal aid work and doing civil rights work.

And so,  I was representing people who are living in poverty to have access to the courts. I was representing people who were in jails and prisons be treated like people instead of being treated worse than animals. , so the other images. So, okay. Because it's a big and listeners, you'll see this by hopping on over to tell me your ink story on Instagram.

There is a lot going on because we have a person of color. We have an indigenous person. Yes. And it looks like a young child as well. Walk us through all of this because it's so powerful.

Yes. So my thoughts were so first, my lady justice is the prominent figure. She is not blindfolded. Instead, she is holding her blindfold and the blindfold itself is the American flag. And then she's also holding a scale and then around her, she's surrounded by as you mentioned, a young child.

And that child is just a depiction of myself looking up to my idea of justice chief self, who is an indigenous chief. I should know that his tribe in one of the tribes in the Northwest. And I'll explain these figures in a second. The other image is of two Chinese people, two Chinese young boys who are behind barbed wire.

And so the reason  that everyone, on my arm is a person of color is because... , how we've done justice historically is by scapegoating against people of color. And so having the indigenous chief on my arm is a reminder of  settler colonialism and how, what was just when we thought about blind justice was Colonizers coming and exterminating people off of their land and sending them across the country by foot under the auspices of.

Our way is right and your way is wrong and you're a savage and we are not and so we deserve this land and you do not as far as the Chinese Americans,  a lot of people on the East Coast  aren't really tuned into this. But since I was a West Coaster, this was a big part of , my education growing up was the internment of Asian Japanese and Americans.

I think I've been saying Chinese. I don't mean Chinese. I mean, Japanese. During World War Two. Yeah. And after , the bombing of Pearl Harbor many people of Asian descent, not even the specific group because we're ignorant Americans and throw anybody anywhere. But they were in turn and basically concentration camps along the west coast.

And in that case, the justice was , your people perpetrated this evil, this harm, not withstanding what we've done. And so you are a threat. And because you are a threat, , you get no due process. There are no questions asked you look a certain way you have this skin color and you're going to be put In an open air prison.

Yeah, George Takei talks about this a lot on his social channels Oh my gosh, right so these were just the the thoughts that I came up with around Our history of blind justice based on the value of white supremacy. And so that's why I got on my arm. Oh my gosh. And I'm so curious as to how did you work with a tattoo artist to bring these images to life because , you had to explain to him or her, I want this woman of color, her face.

Her hair and then I want the flag this way and also finding someone who can tattoo dark skin. It is a talent. It is a learned skill and there's ways of how you do this. We learned this . In episode four listeners with Chris Shattuck talking about how the different inks are needed to bring things to life.

And then you have, yourself as a just adorable little girl looking up as the barbed wire plus, and what is the chief's last name again?  S E A L T H. Seattle is named after, . 

 Duwamish tribe.  Did you bring images with you? How did you make that happen? Yeah. So I had ideas of what I wanted to see. I did bring images. And 

I looked for a couple of months for the right tattoo artist, because when I came up with the idea, I didn't know. the style that I wanted. I didn't know if I wanted realism and portraits or if I wanted  a more new school or if I wanted other types. And so really I just went into tattoo parlors, went through their look books until I found someone whose style was such that  I had to have it on my body.

And this particular artist, Brian Griffith, out of Social Skins Tattoo in Seattle was the artist that I found. I was meeting a friend for coffee in a coffee shop next door, or nearby, and happened to, , stop in and went through his lookbook, and he had just some of the most beautiful portrait images that I had seen.

And I was like, okay, , I guess this is going to be a portrait. So I scheduled an appointment with him, explained to him my idea. Explained to him some of the icons or imagery that I wanted. Some of it, he was like, you don't want to do that. Like very ignorantly. I wanted to have my chief with what I thought was traditional headdress.

And he, Brian, has an indigenous background. And it was like, no.

You don't, no. You don't want that. That's, that's not, that's made up. Like, that's not. Don't do that. So I, I met with him, gave him these images and we worked together over the course of several months to come up with the final idea and then the tattoo took place over three sittings of around four hours each.

Thank you, Brian, for doing that. That is so powerful and that was in Seattle, right? You got that done. Listeners seriously join us on tell me your ring story over at Instagram. You do not want to miss this very special piece and I'll be doing different angles of it because it's that powerful and that important and speaks volumes Whitney about your own purpose.

And mission in life and how you represent, but also to remind everyone that justice is not blind. And that includes when you show up in the workplace. To wherever you go, there is indoctrination. I don't care how woke somebody is. The indoctrination is a daily practice of dissolving the lenses with which we have been taught as whites to look through.

 Now you have some more great tattoos. You have these beautiful words on your body. Talk about. Some of those tattoos as well.

Yes. Yeah. So on my chest shoulder area I have the words of Bob Marley's redemption song emancipate yourself from mental slavery. None, but ourselves can free our mind. And beneath that is a skeleton key. I got that tattoo in Ireland. Because I was in Ireland and wanted a tattoo. And,  that was a time where that song really meant a lot to me because I was also in law school and trying to find my way trying to understand,  what my mission, what my purpose was going to be in this world and what my influences were going to be.

And just trying to really be open to more than what I was learning just in school from these, you know, formal teachers. So I got that. And then the other one, I just want, I just want to be a minute with those words because they are so important. We are incarcerated often by our thoughts. And Bob Marley was about setting on.

All types and all walks of life free  and, to repress yourself and to incarcerate yourself with the harsh words of self talk or what society has told you about yourself. You know, to have that key to unlock, that is the true freedom. And I just want to thank you for that beautiful. Tattoo on your body that just again represents so important and it can really ignite wonderful conversations as well.

Yeah, with people you were going to tell you about another tattoo, the one I'm also very curious about, so this is on my upper right thigh. This is a more traditional tattoo with the banners and the words, and it's a bird.

With banners around it, the banners have the words in it. You are far more valuable than many Sparrows. This  also ties back to my family. , on my paternal side, my grandmothers or great grandmothers. One of her family names was Sparrow and that's a name that I have been given. So it's one of my middle names.

I have a lot of names and it's one of them. And when she passed away on her funeral program  was this Bible verse from  Matthew 10 31 which says fear ye not therefore ye are more valuable than many sparrows. I'm not a religious person, so I actually had to look up this scripture in advance of this so that I could, , actually cite it.

But I got it because it just is another one that ties me back to family and ties me back to the power of what we've been through, what our legacy and ancestry is, because the legend is That Sparrow is one of the slave names that was given to our family. And I don't know if this is true. It could just be a name that she made up.

I don't know. That's the legend. And it's believable because a lot of our, , Black American families continue to have the names that our ancestors, slave masters. Gave them. So for me, it's just, again, just a tie back to my family and , my legacy. Oh my gosh. And the name Sparrow, , the quote that you have there so powerful.

 You also have an amazing tattoo that there's an arm coming out in the barbed wire. Is that part of your lady justice? Yeah.

That's part of the lady justice. Okay. So I'll, I need to make sure, cause I know you had talked about the barbed wire and that was,  the Asian boys there. Okay. Thank you for clarifying that. That's on the inside  of my arm. Okay. Got it. So it goes in and around like that. And I had, you know, applaud all my guests for getting photos of their tattoos.

It's not easy, Stephen. I think episode 14, he just did in front of the mirror. Yeah. I mean, that's what I was, I was yesterday, not easy trying to figure out how to get you a picture of my thigh without showing the world everything. And realized,  I have no pictures of my entire sleeve. Those pictures that you're going to post are from like day that it was finished.

So they're all, you'll see my skin is very red and puffy. Cause it's just, I, I guess it's not something that we do. I know that I do go around taking pictures of my tattoos. Check this out. Right. Right. And then I was like, well, I could ask my husband, but he's going to feel like that's weird. And so what do people say?

When they see your tattoos, when you are going sleeveless or in shorts or in a gorgeous white dress that we have a picture of , what are some of the thoughts that people share that you've have found interesting?  I am most proud of the moments where I'm teaching. Usually younger high schoolers, people who are aspiring to be attorneys, they see my tattoos and , they are amazed at the boundaries that are being pushed.

And  they tell me that it makes them feel like, okay,  if you can be a lawyer with tattoos, then I can be a lawyer with tattoos or with certain kind of hair or with, piercings or whatever. So. Just giving people inspiration about being yourself. That being said, my profession is very conservative.

And so most of the time. When I'm in professional environments, I do not go sleeveless. , my wardrobe is not sleeveless, at least my professional wardrobe. So yeah, but I, I get a lot of comments, particularly with the lady justice, people want to touch her lips because her lips look very real.

Yeah. And so people want to, Yeah. Do you have plans for more tattoos? I mean, I know you just got that one and thank you for being inspired by conversations on your ink story podcast. I'm so honored and delighted by that. Do you have plans for something or are you going to just pause for a while? I have plans.

I want to get a tribute tattoo for my children. But I don't know what I like bubbles, but I haven't so far seen bubbles that I actually like. people. So there's that. And it's because my kids love bubbles. So that, yeah. Yeah. And one of the things that I loved about your process , and listeners, those of you who are thinking about getting a tattoo or your next tattoo, it's great to look through the look books, look at the tattoo artists.

Artist's portfolio and say, Ooh, they have in them what I'm looking for. So for example, the, your ink story artwork is a hand drawn piece from Selman studio in Brooklyn, New York. And it was because I looked at several portfolios and realized that they had in there. Somewhere, I just felt the vibe to create what I didn't even know what I was looking for.

And actually the artist that designed the logo for Euryng's story has tattoos and we interviewed her at episode three. So that was a lot of fun. Oh my gosh. Did you get a tattoo, Andy? , I am definitely ready, especially since now I know about painless Picasso, which I'm going to be using for everything, waxing, electrolysis, you name it.

But it's just going to be when I'm called, right? Cause I'm looking at all these fascinating pieces of art. And of course I'm constantly curating over for the Instagram and on Tik TOK, all these incredible artists and what they're bringing to life. But I know one day I'm going to go. Ooh, that's what I want.

 But that's such a good question, Whitney. Yeah. Where would you get it?

I have no idea for that either. 

We have wonderful studios in the greater Boston area. And as I get in and start visiting them . And I think too that,  not only is it the work, it's the artist itself, right? You know, the person and who's touching your body. It's very intimate, but that's such a good question from a podcast host interviewer.

I loved that turning of the tables. So good. So good. So good listeners. I'm going to have links for everything about Whitney, because I know you're going to want to. Follow her and stick to her like glue because she is changing the world with her voice and her conversations. And she's interviewing fascinating people.

And she's taking care of folks that need taking care of and teaching folks who also want to take care of, of those who need justice, who need help navigating through all the environments, whether it's within the corporate space at your office or in your community. Or in the justice department itself.

And I love what you're doing, Whitney, and we'll do a shout out to , the tattoo artists that you've been working with and wow. This conversation has opened my heart and opened my mind. And I want to thank you so much for sharing your beautiful ink stories with us.

I'm grateful for your inspirational insights about the justice as well as the art of tattoos and the heart and the justice behind your tattoos. You've helped us connect more deeply with each other through this. Beautiful conversation. Thank you so much, Whitney. Thank you. Thank you so much for having me.

It's been a pleasure, Andy.