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Historic Event

The Power of a Portrait

    Activism

    Art

    Politics

    Women's Voices

    Contemporary Era, 2001-present

Three quarter length oil painting portrait of a woman with closely cropped hair holding a teacup and saucer decorated.  She is dressed in a high necked red blouse with a yellow scarf. She also wears a black and white stiped pants.
Growing up, [photography] was my connection to my past. It wasn’t like I could look at a painting. My family didn’t have painted portraits of ourselves hanging around the house. It was a book of family photographs that I had that really impacted me, and growing up with that gave me a deep sense of self, of dignity, and of how to be, how to become.

Amy Sherald

There’s this whole thing about who gets their photos taken, and then who gets to save that photo. And then our family photos, a lot of times, the subject or the person is written about on the back. Or the old photos sometimes had the date, but without that, after you pass a few generations, that information is lost.

Bisa Butler

Thumbnail of the series talk with the text of 'Simmons Talks' overlayed on the museum's building.
A photograph of an African American woman washing laundry outdoors in a yard. Clothes hand behind her on a line.
Historic Event

Atlanta Washerwomen Strike

    Activism

Black and white photgraph of 6 Black children standing in a line with hands by theri side.  There are 2 boys and 4 girls pictured.  The children are dressed up for school and look directly at the camera
Historic Event

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka

    Politics

Photograph of African American children dressed in school uniforms and seated outside in three rows of benches.
Biography

Edmonia Highgate

    Activism