Educational Program

Our exhibition is titled The Erasure of Black Women in the Civil Rights Movement to educate people about Black women activists. It is critical to understand intersectionality, which is the interconnected nature of social categories such as race, class, and gender as they apply to any given individual or group. Black women experienced this due to their race and gender, also depending on their social class. We would like to educate visitors through a panel with women from the civil rights movement or with people who knew the women well. This would allow young people who were not alive during this era to engage with the women and ask questions. Quotes from seven civil rights leaders (Ella Baker, Daisy Bates, Fannie Lou Hamer, Dorothy Height, Diane Nash, Septima Poinsette Clark, Jo Ann Robison) will be posted on mobile apps, and we would give the biographies of the women, including descriptions of how they became a part of the movement. These women were significant to the civil rights movement, yet they are not well known. Projections would be used to show photos and short clips of women protesting, marching, and rebelling. This allows visual learners to physically see the movement. Discussion groups are another very powerful, effective tool used in order to promote reflection. The groups would break in five people and discuss what they saw and experienced. With some guidance, groups will be able to reflect and listen to other’s interpretations. This activity crucially allows for visitors to be able to hear other people’s perspectives and grow as people. Education is important for exhibitions to incorporate topics that are not widely discussed.