Racism Is A Sickness.

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Racism Is A Sickness.

Documenting the emotional toll of racism since 2015. Reconnect. Reflect. Rebuild.
10yearsofracismisasickness.com

is an anti-racism art installation and community engagement project created in 2015 by Tieshka K. Smith, Philadelphia-based photographer and community activist. Smith collaborated with a group of 14 Philadelphians to create a series of photographs, and with the community at large to create several mixed media works. The installation as a whole is a commentary on race, the costly

problem of police brutality, and the damage it continues to inflict on public discourse. She sees racism as a contagious virus that infects and incapacitates us all, while weakening and eroding our social, political and economic institutions. Smith believes that continuing to ignore, rationalize and/or minimize the negative impacts of racism puts America in grave danger. She hopes that will inspire people to think deeply about racism, and motivate young people to use their voices, gifts and talents to take a stand for racial justice, equality and healing for individuals, families and communities.

07/16/2026

Naming a problem is often the first step toward solving it.

Over the last decade, we've become more willing to acknowledge racism in many of its forms. But recognition alone doesn't transform institutions, relationships, or communities.

So where do we go from here?

What does accountability actually require?
What does repair ask of us?
And who gets to define what healing looks like?

07/15/2026

Where did the original participants of come from?

Today we're visiting Northeast Philadelphia.

In the summer of 2015, King Non chose to take part in a project that invited honest reflections about race, identity, and belonging. At the time, he lived in the Kensington neighborhood.

Meet King Non and revisit a poignant quote that he shared a decade ago.

07/14/2026

One question I've been asked since sharing the refreshed logo is: Why add the phrase "A Decade of Reckoning"?

Because this isn't just about the passage of time. It's an acknowledgment of the decade we've lived through.

When I created eleven years ago, I couldn't have predicted everything that would unfold in the years that followed. We've witnessed moments of collective grief, resistance, protest, backlash, remembrance, and an increasingly determined effort to turn back the clock on hard-fought progress.

For me, "A Decade of Reckoning" recognizes that history isn't settled. Every generation is asked to decide what it will confront, what it will protect, and what it will refuse to repeat.

The original message still stands.

But ten years later, it carries the weight of everything we've experienced since.

***

If you would consider purchasing a refreshed t-shirt, drop a comment with your size (S, M, L, XL, 2X, 3X, etc.) and color preference.

This isn't a preorder or a commitment to buy. I'm simply trying to determine whether there is enough interest to justify a new run and what sizes people would actually want/need.

Thank you for helping me think this through. And thank you to those of you who have responded!

07/13/2026

If racism asks some communities to carry more of the weight, then something must be given up in return.

For many, that cost is peace... the ability to move through the world without constant vigilance, second-guessing, or the need to prepare for what might happen next.

Peace is easy to overlook when it's freely available.

It's much harder to overlook when it's not.

07/12/2026

In June 2015, I was frustrated.

Every day seemed to bring another story of police brutality. At the same time, legal protections that many had fought and died for—like the Voting Rights Act and other anti-discrimination laws—were being steadily weakened.

I found myself asking a different kind of question.

What if racism isn't just an attitude or a belief? What if its persistence can be attributed to the idea that racism behaves like a virus that spreads?

That question became the foundation for Racism Is a Sickness.

I created the project to engage as many people as I could in a conversation about healing the insidious and devastating effects of racism. Along the way, I became interested in how we come to understand race, how our identities are shaped by family, community, and institutions, and how memory influences what we choose to remember—and what we're forced to forget.

The project was never intended to provide easy answers. It was an invitation to begin a conversation.

Next week, I'll share why I'm bringing this work back more than a decade later.

07/11/2026

Where did the original participants of come from?

Today we're visiting North Philadelphia.

In the summer of 2015, Monique was the first person to take part in a project that invited honest reflections about race, identity, and belonging. At the time, she lived in the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood.

Meet Monique and revisit a quote she shared a decade ago.

07/10/2026

In 2015, the weight felt immediate.

Names became headlines. Cell phone videos became evidence. Protest became a language of grief.

Many of us believed that if we could help people see the problem more clearly, meaningful change would follow.

Unfortunately, the burden didn't shift... it got heavier.

07/09/2026

In 2015, I borrowed the language of public health to describe racism as something contagious—something that spreads, adapates, and harms communities over time.

Five years later, the COVID-19 pandemic gave all of us a shared vocabulary for thinking about contagion, collective responsibility, and prevention.

Today I'm returning to a different question.

If racism behaves like a social illness, what tools do we already possess to interrupt its spread?

I'm not looking for easy answers. I'm inviting a deeper conversation.

07/08/2026

Where did the original participants of come from?

Today we're visiting West Philadelphia.

In the summer of 2015, four participants from Overbrook, Cobbs Creek, and Garden Court chose to take part in a project that invited honest reflections about race, identity, and belonging.

Over the next few slides, you'll meet the people who represented this part of the city and revisit the words they shared a decade ago.

07/07/2026

One question I've been asked since sharing the refreshed logo is: Why add the phrase "A Decade of Reckoning"?

The answer is simple.

This isn't just a moment that marks the passage of time. It's a reflection on everything that's happened since the project began.

Since 2015, we've witnessed moments of collective grief, resistance, protest, progress, backlash, remembrance, and denial. We've seen conversations deepen, shift, and sometimes circle back to where they began.

Reckoning isn't a single event. It's an ongoing process of confronting difficult truths, asking harder questions, and deciding what we're willing to carry forward.

Adding "A Decade of Reckoning" acknowledges that the original message still resonates, but it also recognizes the ten years of lived experience that now surround it.

The work has changed because we have changed.

***

If you would consider purchasing a refreshed t-shirt, drop a comment with your size (S, M, L, XL, 2X, 3X, etc.) and color preference.

This isn't a preorder or a commitment to buy. I'm simply trying to determine whether there is enough interest to justify a new run and what sizes people would actually want/need.

Thank you for helping me think this through, and thanks to those who have already weighed in!

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1906 S. Rittenhouse Square
Philadelphia, PA
19103

Website

https://10yearsofracismisasickness.com/, https://racismisasickness.com/

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