Destiny Branay (b. 1998) is a Baltimore based oil painter whose starry-eyed portraits serve as a reminder that maintaining hope is a practice necessary for survival. Inspired by the 1973 song by Boris Gardiner, Every Nigger Is a Star, along with innumerable other stories of Black resilience, Destiny references her familial photo archive to weave the past, present, and future into vibrant, new imaginings of Black everyday life. Aside from her degree in Fine Art from the Community College of Baltimore County, she is mostly self taught, allowing intuition to be her guide. With great reverence for those who carried their light through much darkness before her, Destiny utilizes her personal journey with practicing hopefulness to encourage herself and her community. The exhibition of these images through group shows and fairs, most recently Miami Art Week, forces the viewer to pause and recognize their own internal light.