2025 Annual Meeting Virtual Attendance

“Joy Comes in the Morning: Testimonies of Slave Weavers”

Fiber Artist Mary Madison is originally from West Virginia.  As a child, she spent hours in the mountainside collecting clay and searing into her memory spectacular sunsets and cloud formations which often appear in her artwork.  She is a self-taught weaver, avid ceramicist and landscape tapestry enthusiast. She teaches fiber art classes at the Manitou Art Center in Manitou Springs, Colorado.  With any spare time, she uses quilting techniques to make contemporary quilted wall hangings.

Mary is the author the book “Plantation Slave Weavers Remember- An Oral History” and received her M.S. Degree in Organization Development from Central Washington University.

“Cotton – A Storied Crop Touching Southern Lives, Farms, Mills and Economies“

Steve M. Brown is a 1978 graduate in Agronomy & Soils from Auburn University and later earned M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Agronomy / Weed Science at Auburn and Texas A&M, respectively. After completing his Ph.D. in 1987, he assumed the role of Extension Weed Scientist with responsibilities in cotton and peanuts at the University of Georgia, and from 1995 to 2008, as the Extension Cotton Agronomist, serving statewide but located in Tifton. In the latter role, he led the UGA Cotton Team during those years. He retired (or semi-retired) in July 2024 and is currently serving in a teaching role at Auburn, providing instruction in Basic and Advanced Crop Science courses. His entire career has focused on cotton. He and his wife Lisa reside in Auburn. They have three grown sons and three grandchildren.

Alice Brown Memorial Scholarship Recipients

A highlight of the Annual Meeting is learning about the work of the Alice Brown Memorial Scholarship recipients via their presentations. The scholarship assists applicants ages 18-35 in attending the WARP Annual Meeting. Preference is given to students or recent graduates, but those pursuing non-traditional career paths related to WARP’s mission are also encouraged to apply. This year the scholarship includes a complimentary 2-year WARP membership, Annual Meeting registration costs, room and board, and travel expenses (up to $500 for domestic travel and up to $1000 for international travel). Click here for more information about the 2025 scholarship and to apply.

“How Weaving as a Chore Impacted my Immigration Journey“

Zellipah Githui is the founder of Gitzell FairTrade, a social impact brand whose mission is to improve the livelihood of families in Africa.  Growing up in Kenya in a large family with few resources, Zellipah knows firsthand what poverty is.  She learned the art of weaving from her mother and now partners with women weavers from several African countries to create fair trade home decor and accessories. Her specialization lies in facilitating grassroots activities that uplift the livelihoods of families in Africa, particularly at the intersection of fair trade and smallholder farming. Driven by her passion to make a meaningful impact, Zellipah is deeply committed to enhancing local and global communities. She believes in the power of storytelling to shed light on important issues such as immigrants’ experiences, justice, diversity, equity and inclusion. 

“Through Hope and Tradition we created a Legacy – The Freedom Quilting Bee Legacy”

Louise Witherspoon Williams was born and raised in Alberta, Alabama and graduated from 20th Century Business College in 1979. Her mother, Estelle Witherspoon, was the voice and heartbeat of the Freedom Quilting Bee, which she co-founded in 1966. Louise learned the value of family and community from her parents (Estelle and Eugene), grandmother, aunts, uncles, and elder cousins at an early age. Louise has traveled domestically and internationally with her husband of 43 years, Eugene, who is a U.S. Veteran and her twin daughters, Tamika and Jamika, but she will always call Alberta home. Louise serves as President of the newly formed Freedom Quilting Bee Legacy, where she follows in her mother’s footsteps to continue to enrich the lives of the people in Alberta and surrounding communities and to share the wonderful gifts the people of these communities bring to the world.

Gloria Davis Memorial Assistantship Recipients

The Gloria Davis Memorial Assistantship Fund began in 2018 thanks to WARP member Susan Davis’s donation of the Gloria Davis Textile Collection. Susan’s friend Gloria Davis was an anthropologist who collected Indonesian textiles over her lifetime of doing field work. Proceeds from the sale of these textiles established the Assistantship fund, which is now sustained by donations. Assistants have the opportunity to give a 15-minute presentation about themselves and their work, and to have a sales table the afternoon following their presentations. To learn more about the Gloria Davis Memorial Assistantship and to apply, click here.