It’s not often that I break away from my finely honed niche here at Green Your Decor. But sometimes, there are moments that are important enough that I need to share them with all of you. Yesterday, I had a perspective-shifting day. There are just no words to describe the impact of the America I Am exhibit.
This isn’t just any exhibit about black history: It is one of the most comprehensive ever put together, and one that will bring you to the brink of tears and make you overflow with emotion. America I Am started off as little more than a great idea Tavis Smiley had years ago. But with a some legwork and a lot of help (and funding) from title sponsor Walmart and other big names like Microsoft, it became a 15,000-square-foot exhibit that covers more than 400 years of black history in a way I’ve never seen it before.
Many of these artifacts are enough to make you well up with tears. Seeing slave shackles in person easily did that for me. And there are other pieces that will make you proud, like memorabilia from Shirley Chisholm’s run for president; make you cringe, like a full Ku Klux Clan costume in a room with glowing red walls; and make you smile, like outfits from Ray Charles, James Brown and Jimi Hendrix all in the same case. Add to that the sounds, lighting and overall atmosphere of reverence, and it became, for me, a truly surreal and awe-inspiring day.
More important than all of that though, it made me think about the history of my people in a new way. It made me realize just how much of an impact blacks had on this nation, from the days when they were stolen from their homelands to now. W.E.B. Du Bois said it best, and the exhibit captures this sentiment perfectly: “Would America have been America without her Negro people?”
And the answer is a resounding No.
I got to share the America I Am experience with two of my dearest blogging friends, Renee of Cutie Booty Cakes and Sheena of MommyDaddyBlog. We got to preview the exhibit with the press, which is where most of these photos came from. However, we also were invited to the exhibit’s Opening Gala, where we were treated to a full-on sensory experience, complete with African drummers and dancers and East African cuisine. We even got to rub shoulders with celebrities and public figures — a virtual “Who’s Who in Atlanta.” But I’d be lying if I told you that’s what I’ll remember most about the experience.
What I will remember is seeing one of the original copies of the 13th Amendment, complete with Abraham Lincoln’s signature. I’ll remember Malcolm X’s diary and Qu’ran, and continue to ponder what he was thinking and feeling as he was writing those words. I’ll remember the rusty bench from the Birmingham jail where Martin Luther King Jr. sat when he was arrested. And I’ll be taking my husband, daughter, sisters, nieces, and anyone else who’ll tag along back to see it.
The exhibit will be at the Atlanta Civic Center until September 6, and tickets are just $12 on location or $10 from any of the Atlanta Walmart stores that are selling them. And when it leaves Atlanta, the exhibit will travel throughout the nation for the next four years, so it may be coming to a city near you. Imagine that. For $10, you’ll get to see Prince’s Super Bowl guitar and Frederick Douglass’ clothes all in the same building. Even if you’ve never been interested in history, and even if you’re not black, that’s pretty compelling stuff. And if you need to be compelled further, check out my Flickr photo set to see all my images from yesterday, visit the America I Am site, and follow AIA on Twitter and Facebook for more information.
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I’m Jennae Petersen, and I’m a lot of things. A mother, a graphic artist, a connosieur of beautiful interiors and a purveyor of all things design. Green Your Decor was borne of frustration in my attempts to find eco-friendly housewares that were also beautiful, and inspiration to do something to reduce my own carbon footprint and help others do the same in a beautiful way.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I am glad you enjoyed the exhibit and shared it with us. I just have to comment. While no one disputes the difference blacks have made in this country, and the incredible sacrifice made by their ancestors, one of the reasons we continue to experience a division among all people is because we insist on labeling ourselves not as American but as African Americans, Iraqi Americans, etc. I am a mix of many things, does that make me a mixed American? Most of these groups do not need to identify their heritage. We can see that you are black. If we would all stop and recognize that we want to be rewarded for the sacrifices of our ancestors, we are all still Americans and until we identify everyone that way there will be division.
@patricia I can certainly appreciate your perspective. If I had gone to an exhibit about American history that captivated me as much as this one did, I would have shared that too. The exhibit, and my participation in it and sharing of my experience, wasn’t meant to marginalize anyone, but rather to celebrate history. Nothing more, nothing less.
You could make the same argument about the Holocaust Museum or others. I personally see nothing wrong with celebrating the history of blacks instead of ignoring it like many other museums and exhibits do. The fact that the history of many cultural groups is often excluded from more mainstream displays necessitates exhibits like this. And honestly, I think the reasons we are divided as a people go far deeper than the oversimplified idea that we choose to divide ourselves. This exhibit will be powerful and meaningful for anyone who chooses to see it, black, white, mixed or whomever.
Your account and pictures are just stunning! Bravo on your response above! Extremely well said and I am in complete agreement! I cannot wait until I have the opportunity to see this exhibit myself.