Welcome back to the Virginia Museum of history and culture we are here talking about the struggle for black equality, this explores the period from the end of the civil war, which ended slavery in the United States , through 1950. This was a. That witnessed both progress and backlash. For black americans. After the civil war, black virginians and americans embrace the new opportunities. In the form of access to education, new civil rights, political participation, building new communities, starting new businesses and so forth. On one hand black lives of flourished under the new promises afforded , black people also began to suffer backlash from white establishments that wanted to reassert power and supremacy over people of color. At the same time that we see amazing strides, we also see regress in the form of distant friend and American Society. We will look at a few stories that exemplify that push and pull , the session starts with that reconstruction and key legislative amendments that fundamentally shape the rights of black people in america. The 13th amendment, first in 1865, which finally definitively ended 246 years of slavery in america. It was ratified in 1868, which guaranteed citizens ship rights to former slaves and promised it would provide a due process and protection under the law to all americans. Its an amendment regularly cited in legal cases today. The 15th amendment ratified in 1870, which gave blackman the right to vote. And though white and black women would not gain the right to vote until 1920. Black men were given the right to vote in 1870. With the right to vote and the access to political participation. We see black men embracing these opportunities and getting very involved and active. Especially in virginia politics. Peter jacob carter is one of 100 black men who served in virginias gen. Assembly from the end of the civil war through 1900. He was one of the longest serving representatives from Northampton County in virginia. He represents this flowering of black political activism, it was through assembling and like Peter Jacob Carter and other black politicians that helped pass the legislation creating Public School systems in virginia. Readjusting virginias a dead after the war and other measures like that some of the objects we have related to peter jacobs represent the activism , and the eager embrace of political activism of black man once they had the right to participate in politics. There is a quote here from norfolk county. That showed the voters as they are registered to vote in 1867, theres also a broadside of a mass meeting of the democratic republican association. Which was an alliance of black men and white union supporters, who are advocating to give black men the right to vote. Right in the waning days of the civil war. It started early on. Unfortunately as i said, the white establishment was not happy with this newfound power of black people, and they try to limit that power and did so through various measures, measures designed to disenfranchise black men from political participation. We see that culminate in a new state constitution that was a past in 1902. That was a combination of decades worth of the measures that were trying to do some disenfranchising of black voters and black political participation. The 1902 tax of a dollar and . 50, thats about 40 today but many virginia residents could not afford that. And it was incredibly successful at the disenfranchising voters. Almost 90 of eligible black voters were disenfranchised as a result of the new state constitution. Interestingly white voters were also disenfranchised at shocking rates, 50 of eligible white voters were also disenfranchised by that new poll tax another primary means by which the white political establishment reasserted their control and sense of racial hierarchy was through the practice of segregation, and it became legalized through a Landmark Supreme Court decision in 1896, plessy versus ferguson. You could maintain racially separate facilities as long as they were equal. So it basically legalized a system of apartheid in america where black people were legally separated, denied access and even though it was a supposed to allow separate but equal facilities, those facilities were rarely equal to white americans. We have an image showing a segregated bus. When people think about the world of segregation , they probably conjure up images like this, people of color forced to sit in the back of the bus. They were also limited in going about their daytoday lives , where they could shop , where they could sit in a Movie Theater , which public facility like pools and libraries they could use. Even which door they could interpret many establishments had separate doors for white and colored people. And we recreated this a physical structure to remind people, and force of visitors to think about what a choice that they are going to make. Or they walk through the white only or colored only door. This was a daily reality of life under segregation during the jim crow era. On the backside we have a display related to the green book. It was a travel guide that was published annually by victor green beginning in 1936. It provided a way for black travelers, during the period when tourism and automotive travel was very popular in america. The green book provided black travelers a way to find businesses and establishments like hotels, restaurants, hair salons that were friendly to lack visitors and they would not discriminate against them. It was an important guide for black travelers that allowed for them to determine their economic power. Where they were going to spend their money. Which businesses they were going to sport with their tourist dollars. It allows black visitors to find those establishments that were friendly to them. One of the key figures that visitors will encounter is and spencer, who was a renowned poet and Civil Rights Activist from in sperry, virginia. She was a part of the floor sheen of black cultural expression beginning in the 1920s after world war i, it was called the harlem renaissance and it acknowledges that geographical hub of this flowering of cultural expression was in new york city in the vibrant neighborhood of harlem, and spencer made it an important satellite of this new renaissance, and spencer was a poet , and she first became known to other members of the renaissance through meeting James Weldon Johnson who was visiting lynchburg virginia to establish a chapter of the naacp. And she was involved in creating one of the first chapters of the naacp. She and johnson became great friends, he read some of her poetry, and sent it to his friends and harlem who began publishing her poetry in publications through her poetry which was widely admired through her peers, she became good friends with many important black cultural intellectual speakers, many of those figures of visited the home that she and her husband edward had in lynchburg, virginia. Became an important satellite of this new negro renaissance. They likely stated and spencers home. They were gracious hosts. She was an avid gardener , and she would regularly host literary conversations about culture in her home and in her garden. Just to name a couple of visitors, if you name them they were probably at her home. Some of them included w the boys. This is a letter mentioning a visit that he is going to take in 1934, asking her about her famous garden. The boys was a regular visitor to the spencer home as was Langston Hughes , her stand, eden. And even Martin Luther king visited her home. And spencer was constantly writing. Very devoted to her craft. She would regularly right versus on any available piece of paper, the back of a checkbook, an old envelope, and she called these her siblings. She would keep these in her home, and they were on a travel desk. She would take them with her when she traveled new york, even though she was constantly writing, she wasnt of poet that sought publication. Only 30 of her poems were ever published during her lifetime. She generally had to be prodded into sending her poetry to literary journals and other publications. She was not seeking that kind of recognition. We do have an example from the lyrica magazine. A virginia published literary journal that included a couple of her poems , or her works are included in all the major anthologies of american poetry and black poetry of the. To protest segregated busing. She became notorious around town. She would walk everywhere, or try to hitch rides on farmers wagon, something was considered inappropriate for a respectable lady in that day. She also worked as a librarian for 20 years in lynchburg segregated high school. It was through her activism that she was able to obtain resources to find books , and make books available to black students. The types of resources that they otherwise would not have had without her advocacy for black educational development, particularly encouraging literary interest of her black students. Another key figure that visitors will encounter is giving , a richmond native who became a Tuskegee Airmen. Before i tell his story i want to remind the listeners that at the outset of world war ii, like many institutions across the United States , the u. S. Military was a segregated. In addition to black servicemen and women having to serve in separate units they were relegated to the most menial tasks, and they were denied leadership opportunities, as black advocates started fighting against those restrictions and demanding new opportunities the u. S. Army which controlled the air force agreed to create the Tuskegee Airmen program. And clemenceau givings is one of 1000 pilots who earned his wings through the Tuskegee Airmen program. World war ii crystallize the contradictions of American Society for black americans during that period. On one hand, black men and women were being asked to serve their country , to fight totalitarian regimes like the nazis. But at the same time they were being oppressed, and treated like secondclass citizens through jim crow segregation at home. So world war ii spurred black activism in the Double Victory Campaign where black americans and allies were fighting for victory abroad and victory at home. Victory against jim crow segregation. The tuskegee pilots were important pioneers and starting to change Public Attitudes about the accomplishments of black servicemen and women. But also the inequity that they faced in American Society. Clemenceau givings is one of those Tuskegee Airmen who made the ultimate sacrifice. He was killed while flying his plane over the coast of italy in 1944 , during his world war ii service. We have his Tuskegee Airmen patch, showing the crest of the Tuskegee Airmen. Black panther spitting out flames. And as their motto says, spitfire. We also have this poignant document which is the Western Union telegram that was sent to his family. Notifying them of his death and that 1944. We have other items that belong to two other Tuskegee Airmen. Including a flight helmet and goggles , and a bomber jacket. Whats really charming about this jacket is you can see that it belonged to a portsmouth native, and whats really charming is you can see his personalized patch , it shows bugs bunny reclining on a missile with the phrase whats up doc . The suggestion is that missile will be dropped on germans or one of americas other entities with bugs bunny sending it along its way. That patch is marked with his a nickname. Wendy. The Tuskegee Airmen were representative of the service and sacrifice that black servicemen and women have made in all american wars going back to the American Revolution and also the Tuskegee Airmen started to shift Public Opinion about the abilities and accomplishments and skill of black servicemen and women in the military. We are now in the final chronological gallery, this section explores a black history from 19 section explores a black history from 1950 the beginning of the modern Civil Rights Movement of the 50s and 60s through the present day. Its a. That looks at not only the phenomenal progress that American Society has made towards racial equality as a result of the Civil Rights Movement and the key legislation that was made in the 1960s. It also traces the achievements, a congressmans of black americans and all avenues of modern life. Once various barriers have been broken down. That brings us to the present day. We are at a moment where we have made remarkable progress towards racial equality, yet we are still in nation that very much still struggles with race. The section opens with the modern Civil Rights Movement represented by two characters that represent two key elements of what was a broad multifaceted fight for civil rights in the 50s and 60s. The first character is Barbara Johns powell , as a high school student, named Barbara Johns , she led a strike of students in 1950 in her segregated high school, in farmville, virginia. She led this protest against in adequate conditions of her high school. As i mentioned, segregation allowed for the maintenance of several separate facilities. Including schools for black and white students. And generally black students have much poor students and facilities than their white counterparts. Barbara johns got sick of that , she led a student protest that ultimately linked her schools case to the larger case of the School Desegregation. Brown versus board of education which was a landmark u. S. Supreme Court Decision and that 1954. It is struck down the notion of the separate but equal. It overturn the early decision of Plessy V Ferguson and mandated the integration of black and white schools. It was a landmark decision that recognized that separate was on equal. And it had to be ended. Unfortunately brown v board of education was not done. Many Southern States there were deeply resistant to integration in Public Schools led a campaign of massive resistance, trying to resist that federal mandate to integrate the schools. It was manifested in many ways, including the closure of schools in some counties of virginia. The governor at the time closed certain schools rather than integrate them. There is a photograph showing students protesting the fact that they had to leave because the Public Schools were closed rather than being integrated. Barbara johns a story in the fight for desegregation underscores an important facet , to fight for the legal dismantling of jim crow laws that had codified separate but equal. Virginia was a major battleground in that legal fight. The naacp, which often led and pioneered these legal cases filed more lawsuits in virginia over the issue of School Desegregation than in any other state in the country. One of those naacp lawyers was all of Rachel Oliver hill. We have a document which is a Financial Accounting of the law firm , of the expenses related to brown v board of education five. Another key strain of the Civil Rights Movement, one that is represented by the second figure in this exhibition is the movement to change Public Opinion. To advocate for civil rights broadly across society, rather than trying to dismantle segregation on a gradual basis through the courts. That movement is represented by the rev. Wyatt walker , he is not well known, but was a leading figure of the Civil Rights Movement in the early 1960s. He began his Civil Rights Activism in virginia when he he was a student at virginia university, and then through his pastor ship in petersburg, virginia, walker organized a range of nonviolent protests against segregation. He led marches against segregated swimming pools, he led a demonstration at a public library, and other kinds of organized activities to protest segregation. Regarding his library demonstration , he and his mother Civil Rights Activists went to the whites only section of the Petersburg Public Library in 1951. He tried to check out the biography of a confederate gen. Robert e lee. I think it shows an amazing amount of cheek and wit. And for trying to use the whites only section of the library, he had the Police Called on him. And he was arrested. His first of 17 arrest over the course of his career as a Civil Rights Activist. That is one of the items that we have on view in the exhibition. Walker became very Close Friends with dr. Martin luther king junior. They met at a seminary conference in the early 1950s. And he became kings righthand man. They founded the christian southern Leadership Conference , and organized many of the non violent mass protest activities to mark the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Dr. Martin luther king jr. Said he was the keenest mind of the Civil Rights Movement. Strategizing many of the activities, including birmingham in 1963 , and the march on washington in 1963. As a sign of how close dr. Martin luther king jr. And walker were we have an early letter from dr. Martin luther king jr. To walker dated december 3, its referencing a march against segregated schools that walker was organizing and it is signed mike. Only dr. Martin luther king jr. Is closest friends referred to him as a micro this was a powerful indication as to how close the friendship was. We also have this aluminum cup. The freedom cup it belonged to Teresa Walker , this is an important reminder an Important Role in the Civil Rights Movement. She got this cup when she was imprisoned in jackson mississippi after taking one of the freedom rides the rides there wereCivil Rights Act invests both white and black activists who wanted to test southern compliance with federal mandates against segregated thing and interstate bus travel. Groups would board buses in the north and take long bus journeys into the deep south to see if they would be allowed regardless of race to go into the same reading rooms and so forth even though federal law mandated that. Unfortunately the freedom riders were met by intimidation and often imprisonment when they arrived in various southern ports. As i said Teresa Walker was arrested after one of these in jackson mississippi. This is the cup that she used during her imprisonment. There are other items related to protest activities including this stool which came from the richmond woolworth brand. Its the site of many citizens that were held around the country in the 1960s protesting segregated lunch service. These are the kinds of protests designed to underscore the iniquitous inequities and the daily humiliation that like people faced trying to navigate the segregated world and these that tiffanys were also intended to change Public Opinion as news outlets across the country and across the world recovering things like student citizens, peaceful protest marches met by police wielding highpower fire hoses and sicking dogs against protesters. Those were images that really shocked the nation and forced a reckoning with the status quo of segregation in america. We also have several documents published by various civil Rights Groups such as the naacp , the congress of racial equality promoting these various forms of nonviolent activism. Many of these activities, even though they involve many different groups and networks of act invests at local state and national levels, many of these culminated in the 1960s in key legislative actions that broke down the system of legalized segregation and guaranteed equal rights to americans regardless of race. Many of these guarantees also extended to not only race but also to gender, age, and religion. A couple of these key moments that we outlined include the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights act of 1965 which banished the use of pulling taxes etc. Which as we discussed were so effect of an disenfranchising black voters. Also, the Fair Housing Act of 1968 which banned discrimination in the sale or rental of housing. As you move through the rest of the exhibition from this post 1960s period you see how the Civil Rights Movement really paved the way for brack people black people to break the color line and all areas of American Life and we have figures that showcase the remarkable accomplishments and contributions that black people have made in the sciences, cultural fields, professional athletics, and arthur ashe represents one of those figures who broke the color line in mens professional tennis. A pioneering tennis player who was also a great champion of human rights throughout the worlds. A couple of the items we have related to him include a tennis ball that a fan had him sign and for arthur ashe, a richmond native who grew up being banned from certain segregated courts and tennis, to make it to the International Sports arena and be selected as a representative for the us team on the davis cup was incredibly significant to him. Another figure that showcases the Great Strides that lack virginians have made in various arenas of American Life is doug wilder who represents Many Political first for a black virginian. Over the course of his long political career he made many firsts including when he won a seat on virginias state assembly in 1969 becoming the first black politician to do so since the 19th century. Quite a remarkable achievement given how effectively black people had been disenfranchised in virginia for much of the 20th 20th century. One of the other firsts was becoming the first black governor elected by any us state when wilder one the Gubernatorial Race in 1990. He engineered many of these political the phrase through building a Wide Coalition across racial lines. He always said he wanted to be judged by his achievements, by his position, not by the color of his skin. It was that kind of Coalition Building that served as a model for other politicians including pres. Barack obama. Virginia was instrumental in his president ial the jury first in 2008 and again in 2012. That was a moment when virginia after decades of voting for republican president ial candidates turned from red to blue and voted for a democratic cant candidate. Again became instrumental in electing the nations first black president. After looking at these various years of achievement, the exhibition brings us up to the present day and explores recent issues and activism around racial problems in this country and explores the events in charlottesville in the summer of 2017 and the rise of white supremacy. And, new forms of black to the sums in the form of the black lives matter, and designed to confront anchoring and persistent problems our nation has around systemic racism and longstanding patterns of discrimination and also persistent forms of socioeconomic disparities between white people and people of color. Ultimately, our goals for the determined exhibition is to not only showcase the remarkable stories from across 400 years of black history but also to give visitors a deeper appreciation for the determination, the persistence, the resilience of black people as they have fought for equality across these 400 years. We also hope visitors walk away inspired by the stories theyve encountered. Certainly there is a lot of pain and horror in our nations history around the issue of race. Some of the figures featured in the exhibition, i hope, motivate and inspire visitors with stories of some sign sometimes success and sometimes failure, but willingness to fight against sometimes very unfavorable odds. I also hope that i exploring the legacy of 1619 which is the beginning of slavery in british north america, in tracing it over two centuries of slavery, through emancipation, segregation, the victories of the Civil Rights Movement up to the present day. Looking at that long legacy visitors gain a deeper appreciation for the roots of some of our presentday problems so that they know how we got here and are ins hired to make changes for the future. This is the second of a two part tour of the Virginia Museum of history exhibit on 400 years of africanAmerican History. You can watch part one and other American History programs at www. Cspan. Org history