Ethnicity and identifying ethnic traditions came into focus in the 1970s and 1980s when Americans began researching family histories and when minorities began studying their history and advocating for recognition of their roles in American history.  The influence of the book and television mini-series Roots is undeniable.  Contemporary African American quilt artists like Michael Cummings have made the conscious choice to include elements of their ethnicity in their quiltmaking through fabric choice, motifs, and social commentary. This choice adds a new layer to the discussion of ethnicity in quiltmaking. At the same time, there are quilts like Susie Shie’s First Lady and Ursula Rauch’s Sorrow of the Black Woman that continue to serve as proof that inclusion of content depicting race in a quilt does not signify the quiltmaker’s ethnicity. Image used by permission of the artist