Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/61584
BY PATRICIA ANN JORDAN HAMPTON UNIVERSITY MUSEUM EXHIBITS; DR. MARTIN L. KING MONUMENT PLUS BLACK FIGHTER'S HISTORY G reetings readers! By the time you read this, spring will be upon us. Spring for me is a time of fresh beginnings—a season of clearing out and welcoming in the new! I hope we look forward and focus on what is to come and get excited! Not begrudging what is "behind." Right now, I'm excited about what's going on at Hampton University Museum (the oldest African- American museum in the United States). The muse- um has two very special exhibitions in commemora- tion of the Civil War Sesquicentennial. Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman Series by Jacob Lawrence, which began January 27, is a free exhibition highlighting the dramat- ic biographies of two American abolitionists who lived around the time of the Civil War. Lawrence's paintings have an extraordinary conceptual unity and visual power, which both Douglass and Tubman displayed. He depicts, in his paintings, that they both share the will and determination, in the face of all odds, to free their minds and spirits as well as their bodies from bondage. This exhibition runs through Sept-ember 8, 2012 On February 25, Civil War Vignette: Paintings and Drawings of Freedom Fighters from the Hampton University Museum Collection opened. Also free, it is an exhibition that includes drawings and prints from ar tists Charles White, Elizabeth Catlett, William H. Johnson, and John Biggers. All considered "our" treasured ar tists, they have brought to life Freedom Fighters Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, John Brown, Abraham Lincoln, Sojourner Truth, and Phyllis Wheatley as the true abolitionist and fighters for justice. Running through December 2012, Freedom Fighters will also have related programming, as will the Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman Series. For information: (757) 727-5308 or www.muse- um.hamptonu.edu. Dr. Martin L. King Jr. Monument We must all make it a point to see the Martin L. King Jr. Monument on the Washington Mall. The main statue of King depicts him standing with his arms folded, holding a scroll, and looking out across the water. It is built of 159 giant blocks of granite that were quarried in China and carved by master sculptor Lei Yixin. The blocks were shipped to the U.S. and the statue was assembled on the site. The dedication of the Monument was on October 16, 2011. The National Park Service officially welcomed the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial as America's 395th national park on August, 28, 2011, the originally scheduled Dedication date and the 48th anniversary of theMarch onWashington and Dr. King's historic "I Have a Dream" speech. For information: 888-484-3373 or www.MLKmemorial.org. African American Firefighter's Museum (AAFFM) 10 Black Meetings & Tourism March/April 2012: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com The mission of the AAFFM is to collect, conserve and share the heritage of our pioneering African- Americans in fire service. When the museum opened its doors on December 13, 1997, the dedication of the museum also served as acknowledgement of what was believed to be Los Angeles' 100 years of service by African-American Firefighters (1897-1997). In 2002, The Los Angeles Times contacted AAFFM with information they had discovered factu- al data to indicate this history began before 1897 with a man named Sam Haskins. He was listed as the first African-American Los Angeles fireman hired in 1892 and was killed while responding to a fire in 1895. The African American Firefighter's Museum (AAFF) has captured the history of the Los Angeles African American Firefighters in a two part DVD Series entitled "Engine Company X." If you want to get this DVD, it's available by calling (213) 744-1730. You may also visit www.AAFFMuseum.org.