President W. H. Gray wrote to Mr. Charles G. Hays, expressing support for his bold stance against the parade of hooded individuals in Tallahassee. Gray proposed that FAMC's students and faculty join him in commending Hays for his forthright condemnation of such actions, standing firm against racial intimidation.
In response to a letter from Ralph McDonald, the executive secretary at the Department of Higher Education, William H. Gray, Jr. offered his thoughts on problems affecting Black students in higher education in the South. He highlighted two: inadequate technical education and discriminatory Veterans Administration hiring practices.
Taylor's maquette shows a mother tightly embracing one or two children. The theme of the mother and child was a recurring motif amongst the students of Professor Carroll Harris Simms, the ceramics instructor at TSU. Simms worked alongside Dr. Biggers to build TSU's art program.
Jesse Sifuentes’ “Greater Hornbill” was created using the slab method, which was taught to students of Carroll Harris Simms. This method entails layering evenly rolled clay mixed with sand as artists build up their figures, working from the bottom layer to the top. Sifuentes frequently features hornbills, unique birds found in parts of Africa and Southeast Asia, in his art.
This small ceramic vessel created by Professor Carroll Harris Simms has a green hue, with a brown base and white-glazed lip and interior. Simms believed pottery to be an equally important artistic pursuit to sculpture and was encouraged to hear pottery was held in the same regard in West Africa.
Sauls’ drawing is a portrait, completed in pastel, of a person with curly hair wrapped in a green robe. As a part of the curriculum at TSU, art students are required to create portraits. Some opt for self-portraits, while others begin to create images of those including family, friends, and peers. A variety of portraits created with different mediums can be found in the permanent collection.
Rose Piper, an African-American artist, used her knowledge of art and geometry to explore the American South. Grievin’ Hearted, a cubist painting, illustrates the sentiments of African Americans in the South. A man sadly hangs his head on his arm as he sits in the shadows. The girl in the yellow dress symbolizes hope for the future.
William V. Harper was an artist and art educator from Cayuga, Ontario, Canada. Group Study #1 is a gestural drawing focusing on several human figures' physical composition. Lines of body parts overlap, and each figure moves in different positions and directions.
Wilay Mendez Paez is an Afro-Cuban sculptor and collage artist. Guia Eliptica, 2018, is a mixed-media collage piece compiled with found objects. Wilay completed it during an Artist Residency at Clark Atlanta University Art Museum, where the museum's permanent collection inspired him.
Gunnie James Haskins was a Black Liberation Army (BLA) member who was imprisoned in 1974 for a robbery to raise money for the BLA. This is the statement he gave on the day of his sentencing for his role in attempting to free BLA members from prison. He acknowledges their sentencing as another sacrifice in the struggle for Black Liberation.
Gustava Gooden was born in the Farish Street District and at the time of the interview had lived in the home she was in since she was a teenager. She talks about growing up in what she calls the "slum" of the Farish Street District. She discusses the red light district, schools, churches, and businesses in the area.
Gabriel's senior notebook includes her written philosophy of art, photographs of the artist’s works and her process, and a copy of her senior exhibition brochure. As a part of the Texas Southern art curriculum under Dr. John T. Biggers and Professor Carroll Harris Simms, students would create these notebooks to explain their artistry and showcase the works they created as students.
Gwendolyn Hampton was born in the Farish Street District in 1953 and attended several schools in the area, including Smith Robertson School. Mrs. Hampton reflects on changes in many areas in the district, including the disciplining of neighborhood children and the attitude of "country folk" who came to Farish Street to shop.
A button with a black and white photo of H. Rap Brown (Jamil Al-Amin). After organizing in Mississippi during Freedom Summer in 1964, H. Rap Brown became chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in 1967. He continued SNCC’s adoption of Black Power ideologies which began under his predecessor Stokely Carmichael.
This red plank is made of wood and painted over to give a shiny luster. The artwork features a soldier, possibly Toussaint Louverture, with the word “Haiti” carved above it. On the back of the piece, an inscription says “Ayiti Cheri ZP”, Haitian Creole for “Haiti my dear/my baby” (it’s unclear what the ZP could stand for).
This painting from the Leo Psam Collection is a textbook example of the colorfully vibrant scenes artists create when depicting Caribbean art. The Haitian art showcases a busy market scene with people selling fruit and customers inquiring and purchasing them.
This painting from the FAMU Black Archives/Caribbean Art Collection has limited identification for precise attribution. The vibrantly-painted piece depicts a Haitian village scene and features an unclear inscription in red, cursive font on the lower right corner that could be the artist’s signature.
A bolo knife is a traditional cutting tool with a curved blade, commonly used in agricultural and domestic tasks across various cultures, especially in the Philippines and parts of Africa. Its design allows for efficient cutting and slicing, making it ideal for clearing vegetation and harvesting crops. This knife was used by Benjamin French.
A short essay about the revolutionary killing of cops. The author, Frankye Adams Johnson (Malika), gives two recent examples of revolutionaries killing cops, saying the killers are urban guerillas who constitute the military arm of the Black Liberation Army (BLA). The tagline of the essay is “All Power to the New Urban Guerilla, War to the End.”
Handwritten notes and a draft of a committee report by Frankye Adams-Johnson (Malika) to the Black Panther Foundation Committee. The report gives details about her visit to the Moorland Spingarn Research Center on April 3, 1987. She met with the manuscript librarians there about the possibility of establishing a Black Panther Archive.
Handwritten draft of a speech by Frankye Adams-Johnson (Malika) about the Black Panther Foundation. The speech explains the importance of the preservation of Black Panther History for those members that have died fighting the struggle.
Handwritten letter from ACLU Attorney Chris Hansen asking William Lamson about updates for a report about boundary changes for junior high schools in Topeka dating back to 1941 when the state supreme court ordered the schools to be integrated.
Handwritten memo to the Henry Brown National Task Force titled "Proposal/plan for work regarding Henry Shasha Brown." Brown was an imprisoned Black Liberation Army (BLA) member. The memo outlines actions to reach the goals of having Brown transferred to a facility closer to New York and to aid in getting him out of jail.
A note from “Ronie and Papa” to “Nole." The note is in children's handwriting. The sender tells the recipient that it's been a long time, and they are missed.
Handwritten notes about the organization of the Black Panther Foundation. Sections: "The Three Points of Unity and Organizational Discipline;" "Correcting Mistaken Ideas;" and "Suggestions on Propaganda Teams."
Sketches and handwritten notes by Frankye Adams-Johnson (Malika) about family life. The topics she writes about include disciplining children, male-female relationships, and country life.
These undated handwritten notes, spanning several sheets, contain President Gore's remarks for various meetings and convocations. The notes also include an excerpt on structural unemployment and general unemployment, offering insights into the challenges of the time and Gore's reflections on economic issues.
Handwritten notes of an agenda for a meeting of the Black Panther Foundation. Personality, attitude, behavior, disciplinary policies, and organizational structure were discussed.
