I Too Am America: Reflections on the Civil Rights Movement and Beyond
Sunday, January 21, 2018
The West Orange Public Library
The I Too Am America: Reflections on the Civil Rights Movement and Beyond exhibit explores visual art reflections of a mass movement that was a popular, and sometimes unpopular, struggle for racial equality and justice in the United States from the pivotal mid-point of the 20th century’s Civil Rights Movement. Included in the exhibit are representations of the Movement’s progeny: the Black Power Movement, the Black Arts Movement, and the recent Black Lives Matters Movements.
“The Civil Rights Movement was one of the transcendent moments in American history. It’s epic narrative involved larger than life personalities, demonstrations, boycotts, non-violent protests, and novel new methods of organizing on the local and national level,” states exhibit curator Mansa K. Mussa.
“It resulted in laws that gave African-Americans the right to equal opportunity in education, employment, and voting rights, and helped end legal segregation in American life.”
The exhibits features images that run the gamut of artistic express, from David Booker’s dramatic black and white photograph of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at his final address in Newark, just days before his assassination, to Armisey N. Smith’s poignant mixed media piece entitled Sacrifice of Four Black Girls.
The opening reception will be held on Sunday, January 21, 3 - 5 PM, at the West Orange Public Library, 46 Mt. Pleasant Avenue. This event is free of charge and open to the public. Additional viewings are available during regular library hours.
Exhibiting Artists
David Booker, Cathleen McCoy Bristol, Antoinette Ellis-Williams, Stephen B. Ellis, Xplore Freedom, Ricardo Osmondo Francis, Ronald Freeman, Beverly McCutcheon, Qassim Munoz, Mansa K. Mussa, Cheryl Patterson, Ron Powell, Kortez Robinson, Armisey N. Smith, Onnie Strother, and Noelle Lorraine Williams.
For further information contact:
Mansa K. Mussa mansamussa@verizon.net (973) 669-4729
![]()