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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 slave-

ship 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

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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,

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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.