Breaking the Silence
Tracy Williams
acrylic paint on canvas
36.0 x 48.0 inches
This work was created from lived experiences within NHPI communities in California. It reflects stories that are often carried quietly: colorism, anti-Blackness, homophobia, domestic violence, silence, and the pressure to protect reputation at the expense of truth.
These images are not meant to define our communities. They are an invitation to face the harms that many of us have inherited and, in doing so, imagine something different.
Inspired by the Fijian practice of Matanigasau, where the reed becomes an offering toward accountability, reconciliation, and healing, this piece asks what true restorative justice might look like. It suggests that healing begins not by hiding our wounds, but by having the courage to acknowledge them, take responsibility for them, and choose a different path for the next generation.
This work is ultimately about hope and transformation. It is about believing that our communities are capable of truth, accountability, repair, and love that is not conditional.
Tracy Williams
Artist Biography
Tracy Williams is a first-generation Tongan multidisciplinary artist, muralist, and trauma-informed teaching artist based in East Oakland, California. Of Tongan, Cook Island, and Māori descent, her work explores cultural preservation, restorative justice, intergenerational healing, and relational care through large-scale public art and community storytelling.
Grounded in Moana ways of knowing and informed by lived experience, Williams creates visual narratives that invite communities to engage difficult conversations around identity, belonging, grief, and healing. Her practice centers Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities in diaspora while fostering spaces where truth, accountability, and collective care can coexist.
Williams earned Associate Degrees with Honors in Ethnic Studies and Liberal Arts from Chabot College and will continue her studies at San Francisco State University, pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Ethnic Studies with minors in Studio Art, Oceania Studies, and Tech. As Lead Mentor Artist with Civic Design Studio, she collaborates with youth throughout the Bay Area to transform public spaces into places of reflection, cultural pride, and community connection.
Her work has been featured in community-engaged projects across Northern California, and in October 2026 she will represent the Bay Area in Milan, Italy, participating in an international gathering of artists advancing social change through creative practice.
