An art gallery in Sunset Park is displaying paintings from a Brooklyn artist who was originally born in Selma, Alabama.

"I grew up to see prejudice, hear prejudice, and experience the prejudice of the people in Selma," said Willie Mae Brown.

Brown was born in the 1950s during the height of the civil rights movement. She says she wants to tell her story, including about the people in Selma who helped her and her family.

"I could not write fast enough the stories that I wanted to tell, so I started painting them," said Brown. As a young girl, she expressed herself by writing and doodling on her front porch.

Today, she says her art is a reflection of her life experience and things she'd seen and heard.

Brown's current exhibition in Tabla Rasa reflects life and death. She says being in Brooklyn means so much to her. "It makes me so happy to see the diversity and how we can live and learn so much from different cultures, we couldn't do that in Alabama," said Brown.

Brown is also working on her book "My Selma," which recounts what life was like growing up for her, focusing on the conversations that were had.

Brown's work can be explored on Instagram or at the gallery by appointment.