Meredith Butler LBST Arts and Society Gant Center Responses I think the Gant Center was a fantastic

exhibit and gallery and I really enjoyed getting to see it. The introductory video really helped give the viewers a good mind set for entering the gallery; it was very inspiring and very positive which I think was important in a gallery like this since it wasnt all pleasant times for African Americans. And stepping through the actual slaveship doors or back into history was very interesting and intense. Weve been educated on the history since we were little kids but actually trying to put yourself into their place by walking through those doors was very interesting. However, overall I found it a very fascinating art gallery and exhibit to walk through. I was surprised over the amount of artifacts and pieces they had to show- I mean, I saw Princes guitar!- but in the same context it was also a little disturbing to see what artifacts were shown. Sure seeing things like Princes guitar or Muhammad Alis robe is pretty cool, but there were items, like the KKK robe or the slave-ship doors, that reminds people of all the troubles African Americans went through. Personally it was interesting for me to compare the first thing and last thing I saw, which was a tribal chief helmet and Michael Jordans basketball jersey. I think it showed just how hard they worked and just how far they had come from the first slaves being brought over. While I enjoyed the exhibit, I dont think it really drastically changed anything about me but I can definitely connect more with the history since I saw some of these artifacts Id only ever heard about in class. The first artifact I chose and that I found interesting was a small collection of bronze slave badges. Made of bronze, and a bit rusted with age, these badges were no larger than the

palm of someones hand and were to be worn where it could always be seen. On these badges was the city in which the slave belonged to, his or her occupation, the number assigned to the city, and sometimes the owners name and date. These particular badges were from Mobile, Charleston, and New Orleans and the sole purpose of these badges were tags of ownership when owners rented slaves to other states or cities. Although there was nothing aesthetically that stood out, it was just square of dull metal, it really struck a nerve with me. Growing up, especially in high school, most students or young adults feel like theyre wearing a badge of their own, like a label: Goth, nerd, rich kid, band geek, etc. And while its not as dramatic or drastic as these slave badges, I think many can connect with the principle and idea behind a badge, especially one they dont like. And cultural wise, the same idea is portrayed as well. These people were individuals like everyone else; they had a family who they loved, they had dreams and ideas, and they were different from everyone else. But these badges of ownership was forcing a label on them and taking away an entire culture of unique individuals; they were a group of people with similar backgrounds, they were property to be rented and then returned. For my second artifact I chose a very disturbing (to me) but intriguing artifact: a Ku Klux Klan robe and hood. Stark white with the red symbol across the chest and a pointed hood that covers the face completely, its quite intimidating even behind glass. Aesthetically, its very striking and fear inspiring, although admittedly it might look a little silly to someone who didnt know the history behind it. And I think thats important to point out: this costume was basically the symbol of racial suppression and intimidation throughout the 1920s and 1930s and in knowing that it makes it all the more frightening. As a culture, something as simple as a robe and hat hidden in a closest could turn one man into an extremist and was the symbol of inequality and punishment based purely on color and race. As a cultural history on these times,

there cant be the talk of oppression and segregation without mentioning or thinking about this group thats purpose was to frighten African Americans into inequality. For me, Id never seen one of these robes before. We learn about the KKK in class and almost every student knows generally how these men dressed whether that be from movies or pictures in textbooks. But it was strange to look at this real artifact and know what the person underneath wouldve stood for and wouldve done to people. Finally, the last artifact that I chose from the Gant Center was a shirt, pin, and written pledge to commemorate the Million Man March in Washington. Both the shirt and pin depicted scenes of Washington and the march itself but the pledge was especially interesting. Only about a page long, the pledge included rules or guidelines for African Americans at the time struggling for equality. Some of these rules included never calling a woman a certain name starting with a B (especially if shes African American), no drugs, never raise a hand on women or children, support black media and an overall idea of improving all aspects of an individual. Personally, this really connected with me because they were trying to achieve something by proving to people they werent what people they were. African Americans during this time faced a lot of generalization and stigma and with this pledge they were taking a nonviolent stand against all the false accusations. I connected with the idea of peaceful disproval but as a cultural significance and stand it was extremely important. Not only were they fighting for equality, now they were also trying to prove themselves in a society where false stigmas lead popular belief. Without changing how society viewed them itd be difficult to gain their respect and gain equality.