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Abby Bland, a University of Mary Washington senior,
greets entertainer Bill Cosby (center) and Gerald Foster, a Richmond
professor and scholar for the National Slavery Museum, as they arrive
at a fund-raiser held |
The Washington Post wrote about it. The BBC dropped by for an interview.
Even Bill Cosby made an appearance.
The big draw to campus was “Reflections on American Slavery: Selected
Objects from the Collections of the United States National Slavery Museum”
at Ridderhof Martin Gallery, one of the most visited exhibits ever at University
of Mary Washington.
During its six-week run, more than 1,600 visitors saw the display. Stories
about the UMW exhibit and the National Slavery Museum showed up in media across
the United States and as far away as Israel.
“The amount of publicity is unprecedented – it surprised even
me,” said Thomas P. Somma, director of University Galleries and the
inspiration behind the exhibit.
“Reflections on American Slavery” was the first public look at
the growing collection of the planned United States National Slavery Museum,
scheduled to open in Fredericksburg in 2007. Former Virginia Gov. L. Douglas
Wilder is spearheading the museum project; he recruited Bill Cosby as a board
member.
In September, Cosby and Wilder visited UMW for a gala to celebrate the National
Slavery Museum. Cosby spoke at the black-tie event and announced he would
donate proceeds from 10 concerts – a gift estimated to be worth between
$1 and $1.5 million – to the cause.
Other speakers at the gala included Fredericksburg Mayor Thomas J. Tomzak
and UMW President William M. Anderson Jr. Museum board members Ethiopian Prince
Ermias Sahle-Selassie and Jacob Gelt Dekker, founder of Museum Kurá
Hulanda in Curaçao, attended the event, as did architect Chien Chung
Pei, who is designing the museum.
The exhibit at Ridderhof Martin Gallery brought together blacks and whites,
students and administrators, town and gown. Some wept as they came upon rusted
iron shackles or a slave coin, Somma said. Others stood in silence as they
read slave letters describing the humiliation of being hooked to a plow, or
pleading with family to do whatever was necessary to buy the letter-writer
out of captivity.
Political cartoons and drawings from such periodicals as Harper’s
Weekly and The Illustrated London News showed the political
climate of the 19th century, while sheet music and children’s books
illustrated with caricatures of African-Americans revealed societal attitudes
held into the 1900s. In sharp contrast were elegant drawings, African clothing,
and musical instruments reflecting African culture.
One result of the exhibit is that it raised the profile of the University
in the multicultural and minority communities, Somma said, something he hopes
may bring more diversity to campus.
“The exhibit was an occasion to bring people together and not polarize
them further,” he added. “We strived to provide a safe environment
for people to talk about slavery in a positive way.”
– Neva S. Trenis
