Exhibition Description:

The exhibition, "A Dream Deferred: African Americans at Emory and Oxford Colleges, 1836-1968," explores the diverse contributions of African American families, in slavery and freedom, to Emory University from the founding of the institution in 1836 until the era of desegregation in the 1960s. It will be available for viewing from January 22 until May 15, 2002.

Concentrating on the "mother campus" in Oxford, Georgia, we explore the nature of slavery in and around Emory College before the Civil War, identifying by name nearly one hundred enslaved persons who were connected to the College, its leaders, and its faculty. We trace the history of the many families descended from this once-enslaved community, some of whom have worked for Emory in various capacities for five or six generations, constructing buildings, caring for grounds and facilities, and tending to the needs of faculty and students. The exhibition, drawing on archival and oral historical research by Oxford College students, traces the themes of educational accomplishment, memories of labor, family memory, and faith and community in the Oxford African American community over the course of over 160 years. The main section of the exhibition-- incorporating many photographs, documents, quilts, heirlooms and memorabilia generously loaned to us by descendant families-- will be displayed in Woodruff Library's Special Collections Department, January 22-May 15, 2002.

A special section of the exhibition is entitled, "Protesting Racial Violence: Andrew Sledd, Warren Candler and Lynching Controversies in Early Twentieth Century Georgia." On display in Pitts Theology Library, this exhibit marks the centenary of the "Sledd Affair" of 1902. One hundred years ago this year, Emory Professor of Latin Andrew Sledd published an article in the "Atlantic Monthly" denouncing lynching. Although Sledd was in consequence forced to resign from Emory College, his father in law Bishop Warren Candler soon afterwards took up the antilynching cause in print. We explore several extraordinary letters written by African American residents of Atlanta in 1903 praising Candler's denunciation of racial violence against African Americans, and reflect on interracial conversations among persons of faith about lynching at the dawn of the 20th century.

The "Dream Deferred" exhibition was initially developed by Dr. Mark Auslander's "Cultures of the African Diaspora" course in Fall 2000 at Oxford College, drawing on research by students in close collaboration with many partners from the Oxford African American community. Developed as part of Emory's 2000-01 "Year of Reconciliation," the exhibition both reflects on injustice in the University's history and celebrates the contributions and accomplishments of the many local African American families who have played such important roles in that history.

The opening ceremony for the exhibition will be held in Cannon Chapel on the Emory University campus, on Tuesday, January 22, 2002 at 6:00 p.m. as a part of Emory University's observance of the life and legacies of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This evening of "reflection and celebration" will be officiated by President William Chace and Bishop William Morris (United Methodist Church), a member of the University Board of Trustee, will begin with an invocation by Dr. Thee Smith (Department of Religion; Deacon, the Cathedral of St. Phillips) and conclude with a benediction by the University's chaplains. Speakers will include: Dr. Eugene Emory of the Department of Psychology (descended from a family enslaved by the family of Bishop John T. Emory, for whom the University is named); Ms. Callie "Pat" Smith (Emory Class of 1969; grand-daughter of William H.F. Thomas, one of the founding members of the Oxford African American community); Mr. John Godfrey Jr. (Oxford City Council, retired); Dr. Leslie Harris of the Department of History; Dr. Luther Smith of Candler School of Theology; and Dr. Mark Auslander and his students, Mr. Justin White and Ms. Kaycee Hilson.

Music will be performed by the fifty members of the celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. Interdenominational Choir of Newton County and soloist Ms. Mary Beavers of Rust Chapel United Methodist Church, the oldest African American congregation in Oxford, Georgia. Special presentations will be made to the principal African American community historians of Newton County, who through their many decades of historical research have made this exhibition project possible.
At a reception in Special Collections, immediately following the opening ceremony, a special toast honoring the descendant families will be offered by Mr. Felker Ward, of the Emory University Board of Trustees.

LINKS

1. To learn more about how this exhibition was developed, please see:
"Reconciliation Begins at Home: Remembering African American Contributions at Emory and Oxford" Mark Auslander, The Academic Exchange,  December 2001/January 2002.

2. This exhibition is part of MARIAL's Newton County African American Family History Project.

sponsored by:
Emory Program in African American Studies
Emory Center for Myth and Ritual in American Life
Oxford College of Emory University
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Observance Committee
Emory University Archives
Special Collections and Archives Division, Robert W. Woodruff Library
Friends of the Emory University Libraries
Pitts Theology Library
Candler School of Theology
The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences