A shrine that Jean Lacy showed the class was Little Egypt Condo/New York City; this was special to me because I understood as soon as I laid my eyes on the work of art. Growing up in New York City as a child in complexes much like the Little Egypt shrine, I was taken aback with such a reverence that I could not explain it at the time. I was flustered with the joyous times of a huge family in a four bedroom apartment, remembering "my" roots as I always wear an Egyptian Ankh around my neck. This made me reflect on my life and encouraged me to rush on to my shrine more with the spirit of my Mother's life.

Therefore, I started to devise the planning of my shrine. I had already thought of giving this shrine some claim to my family, which is the most important element of my life. However, I did know for certain that I had to relate it to my North Star, My Mother. My mother, Donna Layne, and along with her all of the women that had held roles in the Civil Rights Movement; namely Diane Nash, Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and someone who has touched many of our lives musically and we might not even know it, Nina Simone.  Women throughout history have been the rock and home base of the operations within the movement, the homestead, and the forefront when the men were not there to hold it in place. My mother, specifically, has been the lone welder of seven beautiful swords she calls chil'ren, or offspring in laymen's terms. The shrine is dedicated to her for the commitment she made, through all obstacles, to give me the education that I deserved in this country and to make sure that I learned to be the upstanding man that I have become. She has truly been the pillar of light holding my life from crumbling, as many of the women have done for the Civil Rights Movement and for today's life in general.

I implemented art in my shrine by using different pieces to signify the love I have for my home, my family, and most of all, my mother. For, without her, all things would have been impossible for me up to this point in time. Various aspects of my life were embedded in this work that I spawned from my life in a week. There is an Egyptian ankh on the top of my shrine to exemplify the religious freedom that my mother had given me as a child, allowing me to grow into the very spiritual person that I am today. On the back wall of the shrine is the Number 7, the total number of her children that she has raised by her lonesome. There were broaches on the top of it; they had hearts on them resembling my undying love for my family. There was a pin on the top also; it had wings on it, symbolizing the angelic nature of my mother's grace. Several circular, golden structures were on the sides and the inside. These represented the light that is my family and how my mother brightens every room that she walks into. On the inside there was a heart shaped miniature pillow, which symbolized how my  mother used to tell me, "Home is where the Heart is." Another quote that she always said was, "You're my Ace in the hole", which is represented by the Ace of Spades on the right inside wall.  There was also a small African drum on the inside with a golden flower growing from the top of it, symbolizing my mother teaching me to never forget my African roots.

There was blue paint on the inside on the walls; at a glance, it looked like regular smeared paint. If one would take a closer look, one would see the words power and strength, two of the most intricate qualities that my Mother possesses. In gold lettering on the right side of the box, you will see her initials DBL. On the left side there are two snakes marked with blue enamel, they symbolize how one cannot trust every person that they come across. My Mother always taught me to get to know people before you can trust them, because they can always poison you with their venom if you don't know them well enough for an antidote. Finally, there is a center piece on the floor of the shrine with a heart in the middle. My Mother is the center of my life, the seed in my peach, and the sun in my solar system.