Browse Exhibits (13 total)

This exhibit is guided by Common's song "Letter to the Free" as the lyrics of his song are followed by images that show my own interpretation of the song. Through looking at the exhibit one will see how slavery exists in a different form in our modern days. One can still see the dehumanization and discrimination against Black people through mass incarcenation and police brutality. 

In order to fully understand and appreciate the beauty of Comic Books, one must understand the times they were born out of and what came before them. Often times, Comic Books are used as a way to escape from the world in which we live in. This is the main reason many people claim that it is impossible for Comics to be a representation of the society and world we live in. However, it can be said that the worlds presented in comic books are an allegory of the world we live in and a criticism of its societies. 

Marvel Comics have always represented the world and pointing out the flaws in the societies ever since their establishment in 1961. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, writer and artist respectively, have always been keen on the representation of marginalized people, including homosexuals, women, and people of color. X-Men and Black Panther are two prominent Comics that explicitly represent African Americans and marginalized people, and the themes have always been evident throughout their different issues. 

Unfortunately, the African American communities in the United States of America have been facing lots of violence and brutality on the hands of the police force even after segregation has ended. They have been targeted and are always considered to be major suspects to some of the police forces in the US. The sad part of this is that the police are using excessive force in situations that do not require this much power. Many African Americans have been getting arrested brutally for reasons that are not worthy of mentioning. It is unfortunate to see some of the police forces manipulating the law and order that has been put forward in their favor. It is as if the amendments do not mean anything to those in power because African Americans are suffering terribly and nothing has been done to put an end to this unnecessary brutality. Furthermore, violence does not stop there, there are many instances in which white people have been targeting black people and shooting them claiming that they were a threat. 

"Roots" was the most watched mini-series in the US when it originally aired in 1977. When ABC network executives decided to air a miniseries based on Alex Haley’s novel Roots in 1977, they took every possible precaution to cut their losses. Even though black characters were more prominent than ever on primetime US television (Good Times and The Jeffersons were hits) the network’s entertainment president, Fred Silverman, was nervous about airing a drama about an African family as it endures American enslavement and eventually achieves freedom."Roots" holds immense social and cultural signifance.

This exhibit explores African American women in jazz focusing on the 20th century. It details several important African American women in jazz history and also discusses the struggles that they had to overcome both as women and as African Americans. These issues regarding race and gender were obstacles that stood in the way of their careers, yet they managed to conquer the prejudices against them and rise through the ranks.