Sara Trail | Social Justice Sewing Academy

Sara Trail began sewing when she was four-years-old; she was taught by her mother, grandmother and aunt. Sara wrote a nationally published book, Sew with Sara and starred in a DVD entitled Cool Stuff to Sew with Sara, created two signature fabric collections, and designed a pattern line for Simplicity. Trayvon Martin was 14 days older than Sara, and in 2012 his murder inspired her to create an art quilt memorial featuring his face shrouded by a grey hoodie. At that moment, Saras love for sewing and passion for social justice became intertwined. She graduated from UC Berkeley in December 2015 with a bachelors degree in American Studies and minors in Education and African American Studies.

Founded in 2017, the Social Justice Sewing Academy (SJSA) is a non-profit organization that aims to empower individuals to utilize textile art for personal transformation, community cohesion, and to begin the journey toward becoming an agent of social change. Prior to COVID-19, youth workshops and programs were at the core of the organization.Through a series of hands-on workshops in schools, prisons, and community centers across the country, SJSA used social justice and art education to bridge artistic expression with activism.  Many of their young artists made art that explored issues such as gender discrimination, mass incarceration, gun violence, and gentrification. The powerful imagery that youth created in cloth demonstrated their critique of issues plaguing their local and larger communities. These quilt blocks are then sent to volunteers around the world to embellish and embroider before being sewn together into quilts to be displayed in museums, galleries, and quilt shows across the country.