We’re pleased to announce the opening of our latest mini-exhibition, “Talkin’ ‘Bout a Revolution: The American Civil Rights Movement, 1954-1970,” which runs through the end of February and is part of the University’s 2016 community MLK Day celebration, “The Call to Higher Ground.” The exhibition is curated by our own Ervin Jordan, research archivist.
Jordan writes, “The American Civil Rights Movement (1954-1970) intensely transformed American society and inspired similar movements worldwide. Its nonviolent protests and civil resistance for equal citizenship under the law enhanced African-Americans’ self-dignity and collective commitment in the face of white supremacist terrorism. Others too, were allies, martyrs and beneficiaries of this undertaking to fulfill the promises America had made on paper since 1776.”
The exhibit’s 24 items on display comprise letters, newsletters, photographs, poetry and reports; special items of interest include:
- A 1960 NAACP voting rights comic book
- Alex Haley’s 1963 interview of Malcolm X
- A 1969 Black Panther Party coloring book
- A 1976 Julian Bond for President bumper sticker
- An inscribed copy of Coretta Scott King’s published memoirs
One of the exhibition’s three display cases features the life and career of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., charismatic leader of the Civil Rights Movement and “a drum major for justice and peace” in his letters and publications.
Please stop by for a visit!