Misc. Monday: MLK and the Civil Rights Movement through UMMAâs Collection
Martin Luther King (1968) by Ben Shahn
First recognized as a federal holiday in 1986, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day serves to remember a man who stood for nonviolent activism within the Civil Rights Movement, protesting the discrimination and inequality of African American people in the United States. Today, many museums are hosting special events commemorating the holiday and Kingâs activism; a number of institutions, including the new Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture, are offering free admission to the public.
We Shall Overcome (1965) by Ben Shahn
Remembering and preserving history through paintings, drawings, and photography serves to unite communities and the arts together. UMMAâs own collection features a number of works created within, inspired by, or in response to the Civil Rights Movement and Martin Luther King, Jr.Â
Tired Marchers Sleep on the Streets -Â âWe were tired, we were tired.â, Selma, Alabama, from âDetroit Focus 2000âł (1963) by Edward (Robbi) RobersonÂ
Edward âRobbiâ Roberson was a Detroit photographer known for capturing the icons of Motown and figures of the Civil Rights Movement. This photo was likely taken during attempts and demonstrations to register black voters, who faced discrimination and inequality with the implementation of a poll tax and literacy test by Alabama legislature. âFreedom Dayâ, a mass mobilization of registering voters, many of whom were denied application. âFreedom Dayâ ultimately led to the Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965, which Martin Luther King, Jr. participated in, aiding in the passing of the Voting Rights Act.
Untitled (I feel most colored...), from Four Etchings (1992) by Glenn Ligon
Glenn Ligon is a contemporary artist who works with a number of themes, including race and identity. He engages with and incorporates pieces from literature, history, and his own life into his work. Untitled utilizes a quote from Harlem Renaissance writer Zora Neale Hurstonâs 1928 essay, âHow It Feels to be Colored Meâ.Â
Thou Shalt Not Stand Idly By (1965) by Ben Shahn
Shahnâs piece features the quote âthou shalt not stand idly byâ in both Hebrew and English, depicting the diversity and need for unification among different groups of people within the Civil Rights Movement. Shahnâs work also resembles the SNCCâs emblem of a grasped black and white hand.Â
March on Washington, [SNCC members and friends defiantly gather to sing freedom songs], from âMemories of the Southern Civil Rights Movementâ (1963) by Danny Lyon
Danny Lyon served as a staff photographer for the SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) while immersing himself into the environment of 1960â˛s social change. The March on Washington called attention to the work of the Civil Rights Movement promoting racial equality, culminating in Kingâs âI Have a Dreamâ speech.