JOURNEYSR e g i n a l d F . L e w i s M u s e u m Q u a r t e r l y N e w s m a g a z i n e

JAN UARY-M ARCH 2015

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Dear Friend,

Welcome to a new year and new milestones. This year marks our 10th anniversary. We could not be more excited to celebrate this achievement that is a result of your ongoing patronage and support. This year also commemorates the 50th anniversary of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. To recognize this landmark, we present the portraiture of J.M. Giordano, who photographed well-known and unsung heroes who stood for social change during the 1960s. Perhaps you may even know some of the Marylanders who are featured. The exhibition Struggle: Portraits of Civil Rights and Black Power, is currently on view through January 25, 2015.

If you are looking for ways to celebrate Women’s History Month, you are invited to Sista Girl’s Talk, where expert panelists help women become advocates for their personal, financial portfolio and spiritual wellness. We offer a special thanks to the women panelists who have nurtured community and inspired their following to pursue a life of well-being.

I hope you enjoy this issue and look forward to welcoming you to the museum soon.

Sincerely,

Dr. A. Skipp Sanders, Executive Director

Cover image: Children and families enjoy interactive activities at our regular Saturday’s Child programming.

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Vacationers at Highland Beach, Maryland, established by Charles Douglass, the son of Frederick Douglass, after he was turned away from an establishment on the state's Eastern Shore.

MARYLAND

T here’s a new personality on the premises. She was a fixture on Baltimore’s historic Pennsylvania Avenue when it was brimming with live music venues and jazz greats like Chick

Webb. She proudly helped register voters as a member of the Colored Women’s Democratic Campaign Committee of Maryland in 1948. Her name is Ms. Masie, and she is the museum’s new guide to Maryland life during the Jim Crow era. Created by the museum, Ms. Masie is a fictitious character who lived through the 1960s. Played by an actor in costume, she leads visitors through the permanent collection, making stops along the way to sharing stories of the remarkable drama that helped shape our country and establish civil rights for our nation.

MS. MASIE’S JIM CROW

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She introduces visitors to figures in the permanent collection such as Donald Murray. Murray applied to the University of Maryland School of Law in 1935, only to be rejected because of his race. NAACP attorneys Thurgood Marshall and Charles Hamilton Houston took on his case and used it to challenge the “separate but equal” clause in Plessy vs. Ferguson, which maintained segregation in public facilities. Marshall and Houston were victorious, and the ruling paved the way for Marshall to successfully argue Brown vs. Board of Education years later. The landmark Supreme Court decision abolished segregation in public schools. In a continuance of justice, Murray graduated from University of Maryland Law School and went on to represent Esther McCready, another Marylander seeking admittance to the university. She sought to attend the School of Nursing. Thanks to Murray, McCready became the first African American admitted to the school, and it now even bears her name. Ms. Masie’s tour highlights other Maryland heroes in the permanent collection such as Violet Hill Whyte who courageously became the first African American on the Baltimore City Police force in 1937. Known as “Lady Law,” she was forbidden to wear a uniform because of her race. Yet, she built trust with her precinct through her famous acts of charity and kindness. Her holiday food drives and holiday toy giveaways for children in the neighborhood became greatly anticipated each year. Visitors travel back in time with Ms. Masie to places such as Highland Beach in Maryland’s Anne Arundel County. The resort town was founded by Frederick Douglass’ son, Charles Douglass, after he and his wife were turned away from a restaurant on the Chesapeake Bay. The couple bought 40 acres on the bay and turned it into a summer retreat for their family and friends. It was the first African American municipality incorporated in Maryland and became a center for prominent African Americans, such as Paul Robeson, W.E.B. DuBois, and Langston Hughes. Celebrities such as Alex Haley and Arthur Ashe bought vacation homes there. █

To learn about these figures and other poignant moments in Maryland history, reserve your tour of Ms. Masie’s Jim Crow Maryland today. The tour is available for groups of 15-30 people. To book, contact hall@maamc.org

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1. Break dancer at the Curators of Hip Hop Event. Photo Credit: Eric Jemal.

2. Visitors make replicas of the African flag at the Family Reunion Expo.

3. A young visitor displays his work from the workshop Embracing Many Shades.

4. Children’s program at the Family Reunion Expo.

5. Dance performance prior to the film screening of Dark Girls.

6. A winner of our Southwest Airlines ticket giveaway.

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WHAT’S GOING ON?A Peek Inside the Museum

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‹ Victorine Adams was a founding member of the Women’s Democratic Campaign Committee of Maryland and served as a State Delegate 1967-68.

If the age old adage “only a hungry person knows how a hungry person feels” is true, then Maryland women are living proof. As the world celebrates March as International Women’s Month, we proudly highlight the valiant contributions of Maryland women in the permanent collection in this issue. We call the women “invisible Marylanders” because they remain in obscurity, though the legacy of their activism and creativity stays with us today.

MARYLAND

INVISIBLE

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Women in our permanent collection are examples of individuals who encountered challenges and saw them as opportunities to create change. Victorine Quille Adams was on the front lines of political fundraising and campaign organizing in 1946. That year, she successfully founded and managed the Colored Women’s Democratic committee. This organization initially sought to help elect whites who were sympathetic to Baltimore’s African Americans. However, a subsequent major achievement of the organization was the election of Judge Harry A. Cole, an African American Republican to the state Senate over Democratic challenger and political boss, Jack Pollack.

Lillie Carroll Jackson was a fellow ally with Adams in the fight for justice. As Baltimore Chapter President of the NAACP from 1935-1970, Jackson organized demonstrations and protests that forced Baltimore businesses to hire African Americans. A famous 1945 protest involved picketers brandishing signs with the slogan, “Don’t Buy Where You Can’t Work.” Her daughter, Juanita Mitchell, carried on the fight for justice as the first female graduate of the University Maryland School of Law and first black female lawyer in Maryland in the year 1950.

Women such as Beatrice Fowler, also known as “Bea Gaddy,” “St. Bea”, or the “Mother Theresa of Maryland,” provided support to the poor and hungry. She used $290 from winnings in the lottery as her seed money to feed, clothe, and house those less fortunate than her. A Thanksgiving feast she started on the sidewalk in front of her Baltimore home blossomed into a community kitchen for the poor and hungry. Her daughters continue to organize the annual neighborhood Thanksgiving event that she started four decades ago.

Maryland women boldly entered the man’s world of the arts. The name of our permanent gallery, Things Hold, Lines Connect, relates to the importance of family and community. It is taken from lines in a work by Maryland poet Lucille Clifton:

Things don’t fall apart. Things hold. Lines connect in thin ways that last and last and lives become generations made out of pictures and words just kept.

You can learn more about Bea Gaddy, Victorine Adams, and other Maryland women by visiting the museum’s permanent collection.

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We are fortunate to live during a time when the use of computer-based technology has revolutionized the field of genealogy.

Many beginners quickly find records on their immediate ancestors then suddenly, their search comes to a halt. Genealogists call this a roadblock. What’s a person to do?

The key to solving your roadblock may lie in rethinking your strategy as it applies to your family and the community where they lived. Consider the following strategies to reactivate your search:

The manager of the museum’s Resource Center, Lisa Crawley,

gives tips on researching your family history.

Look for the family, not just the ancestorMost databases are primarily set up to encourage users to look for their direct line of descent. By collecting information on siblings and other relatives, the chance of identifying a missing surname or a whole generation of the family greatly increases.

Research historic property inventories and architectureMany historical societies and preservation agencies have inventories of historic properties (conducted for the bicentennial), as well as books on historic homes and neighborhoods. By using this method, I can now pinpoint the exact location of paternal ancestors in a rural community in North Carolina. Although their home was not profiled in a local book on architecture, the home of their eccentric next-door neighbor was.

Find out about floods, natural disasters and epidemicsWas your family affected by the influenza epidemic of 1918-1919, the scarlet fever epidemic of the 1920s or a natural disaster? Did multiple relatives die around the same time? Making local inquiries regarding natural disasters and epidemics may answer some of your questions.

Identify major centers of employment, industry and agricultureThe impact of the Great Migration in the lives of many African American families was largely driven by the desire and need to find better economic opportunities. An understanding of the work lives of our ancestors will provide important information on how their employment opportunities affected their families.

WHERE GENEALOGY +

In the end, adding new questions to your genealogy toolkit will better serve your family history goals and projects. █

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Kira Graham and her father show the results of their genealogical research, completed at the museum’s Resource Center.

Schedule an appointment with our Resource Center to investigate your own family history. The Resource Center is open to the public on Wednesdays, Fridays, & first and third Saturdays 12pm-4pm. Admission is free, but does not include admission to the museum galleries.

+ LOCAL HISTORY MEET

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W omen play vital roles in the community and are often the lead caretakers before working on their own well-being. On Saturday March 21, 1pm, the museum presents a

panel to help women advocate for their personal, financial, and spiritual wellness. The museum chatted with panelists Dr. Tamara English and Dr. Michelle Gourdine. Dr. Gourdine is the former deputy secretary for Public Health Services in the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. She is currently the CEO and founder of a health policy consulting firm and author of Reclaiming Our Health: A Guide to African American Wellness. Dr. Tamara England is Assistant Minister at the Enon Baptist Church in Baltimore, Maryland and author of The Journey to Self.

RFLM: Dr. English, what inspired you to write The Journey to Self?

TE: I wrote my book based on a workshop [presented prior]. The workshop, "Discovering Your Purpose," empowers women, helping women to discover their purpose. I equip them for leadership. During that workshop, we were talking about why we hide behind a mask, why we are afraid to be authentic and our

SISTA GIRLS’ TALK: RECLAIMING HEALTH, WEALTH, & SELF

Dr. Michelle Gourdine and Tamara England invite our audience on March 21 to learn how to nurture one's physical and spiritual health.

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true selves, which generated a lot of conversation around why some women feel it is critical to hide. I thought I would write a book on being authentic. That’s how I came up with The Journey to Self. The subtitle is Who Knows What A Woman Can Be if She is not Afraid of Being Herself.

RFLM: Can you provide a tip for women who feel like they can’t live their truth and hide behind a mask?

TE: I would pose the following question to the woman who desires authenticity but is struggling to do so: count the cost. Which is greater? That which you fear, or that which is being is suppressed? She alone must answer that question and live with her answer and ultimately her decision. Being true to oneself has its pros and cons. When one determines to be authentic, one has to be willing to pay the price.

RFLM: Dr. Gourdine, what inspired your services and you to write the guide Reclaiming Our Health: A Guide to African American Wellness?

MG: I began to notice a disturbing trend; the sickest people, whom I took care of, were African Americans. I began to tie that back to my experiences at home and my community in Jackson, Mississippi, at church, and on the sick-and-shut-in list. I began to notice diseases like high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, and even obesity seemed to impact the African American community disproportionately. These were the ones I was learning in my training that we could actually prevent. It seemed to me that there was a disconnect between the knowledge that healthcare professionals had and the knowledge that our community needed in order to take care of ourselves. That’s what led me to write the book. There is no doctor’s language. It is simply a guide that provides our community with the knowledge, the skills, and the tools that we need in order to put our health first in order to stop this cycle of needless disease and death in our community. █

The conversation Sista Girls' Talk: Reclaiming Health, Wealth, and Self with Dr. Michelle Gourdine and Tamara England is Saturday, March 21, 1pm. For more information, see page 18.

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Exhibitions

For Whom It Stands* May 17, 2014 - February 28, 2015

Best Historical Exhibition 2014 - Baltimore Magazine. This exhibition chronicles the communities and individuals who pointedly have asked the question: for whom does the flag stand? From pride to protest, the flag of the United States has been used to express the views of the nation's people. Most recently, people of diverse backgrounds have rallied around the slogan that “Black Lives Matter.” The resurgence of flag-based images during those protests and demonstrations challenges the contention that there is “liberty and justice for all.” In this exhibition, more than 100 works of flag-based art, artifacts, documents, and photographs reflect the breadth of American experiences towards the U.S. flag.

Struggle: Portraits of Civil Rights and Black Power October 1, 2014 - January 19, 2015

Stand amongst luminaries of the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements. Maryland photographer J.M. Giordano has photographed the well-known, as well as unsung, freedom fighters of the era in formal portraits. While historic images of civil rights and Black Power leaders exist through photojournalism, Giordano composes portraits as a statement of the prominence of these individuals. His work establishes a new visual history of this pivotal American era. On view include Marylanders Dr. Helena Hicks, Simeon Booker, Dr. Maulana Karenga, and Robert Houston.

7th Annual High School Juried Art Show February 1 - March 15, 2015

High school students across Maryland are invited each year to submit work to be considered for inclusion in this exhibition at the museum. This year, the artwork responds to the theme “The Flag and the American People: What Does it Mean to Me?” The theme is inspired by the museum’s current exhibition, For Whom It Stands, which investigates the history and representation of the United States flag as an icon of our nation and its people. The exhibition is produced and presented in partnership with the Maryland State Education Association and the Maryland State Department of Education.

CALENDAR

*This exhibition has been financed in part with State Funds from the Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission, an instrumentality of the State of Maryland. However, the contents and opinions do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission.

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APRIL 15 - AUGUST 30, 2015

UPCOMING

“a reminder there’s still no other company like Dance Theatre of Harlem” - Houston Chronicle

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Third Thursday Series: Kevin Walker, Bassist Thursday, January 15, 6pm

After touring with Prince and Justin Timberlake, this Baltimore native is back home tonight. Bassist and producer Kevin Walker, with the Jazz Chronicles, eases us into the new year with his electrifying talent. Part of the museum’s Third Thursday series where the galleries are open late (5-8pm) with live entertainment and cash bar. Special admission $5.

Celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with activities throughout the day to include music, oral history performances, panel discussions, and craft activities.

MLK Weekend January 17 - 19, 2015

Gallery Walk with J.M. Giordano Struggle: Portraits of Civil Rights and Black Power Saturday, January 17, Noon

Tour the Struggle exhibition with the photographer behind the portraits, J.M. Giordano. An informal Q&A follows. Special admission $5.

Programs Special EventsFamilies Films

All programs are included with museum admission unless otherwise noted.

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MLK Children’s Birthday Party (ages 6-10) Saturday, January 17, 2pm

Join the museum in honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a children’s birthday party to celebrate the Civil Rights leader. Enjoy a screening of the children’s video, March On! The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World to learn about the March on Washington. Sing freedom songs and join in games about tolerance with storyteller Janice the Griot. Create an “I have a Dream” craft project with museum staff. Cake and ice cream served. To RSVP, please call 443-263-1875 or visit RFLewisMuseum.org. Special admission $5.

MLK Day Celebration Monday, January 19, 12-4pm

Celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with activities throughout the day to include music, oral history performances, community roundtable on issues triggered by events like Ferguson, and craft activities. Enjoy a musical performance by In Process, an African American women’s quintet. Watch an oral history performance of “Stories from the Struggle for Civil Rights.” Dr. Dorothy Adamson Holley of N-Chat celebrates freedom by performing Drumetry™, an art form that combines poetry and drumming. Special Admission $5.

Freedom Riders Sunday, January 25, 2pm-5pm

(120 minutes) From May to November 1961, more than 400 black and white Americans risked their lives—and many endured savage beatings and imprisonment—for simply traveling together on buses and trains as they journeyed through the Deep South. The so-called “Freedom Riders” were deliberately violating Jim Crow laws that upheld segregation. From award-winning filmmaker Stanley Nelson, Freedom Riders features testimony from a fascinating cast of characters who were involved first-hand: the riders themselves, government officials, and journalists. A post-film discussion follows with Freedom Riders Joan Trumpauer

Mulholland, Dion Diamond, and Janice Grant. In conjunction with the current exhibition Struggle: Portraits of Civil Rights and Black Power. Free. To RSVP, please call 443-263-1875 or visit RFLewismuseum.org.

This program is funded by Created Equal America’s Civil Rights Struggle. “Created Equal” is part of the Bridging Cultures initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities produced in partnership with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History to encourage public conversations about the changing meanings of freedom and equality in America.

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Freedom’s Diaries: Diaries of Free African Americans from the Antebellum and Civil War Era with Karsonya Whitehead, Ph.D. of Loyola University and Myra Young Armstead Ph.D. of Bard College Saturday, February 7, 1pm-3:30pm

Diaries by African Americans from the Antebellum and Civil War periods are extremely rare. Travel back in time and hear about everyday life from the diaries of two free blacks who lived in the Mid-Atlantic. Karsonya Whitehead’s Notes from a Colored Girl: The Civil War Pocket Diaries of Emilie Frances Davis uncovers the story of a woman in Philadelphia’s vibrant free black community through the prism of identity, race, and class. Myra Y. Armstead’s Freedom’s Gardener: James

F. Brown, Horticulture and the Hudson Valley in Antebellum America traces the life of an escaped slave from Maryland who became a master gardener and kept a diary for over three decades. To RSVP, please call 443-263-1816 or visit RFLewisMuseum.org.

The Griot’s Eye Youth Film and Culture Festival Saturday, February 14, 12pm-4pm

Celebrate Black History Month with Baltimore area youth as they present their works in film, theater, music, dance, and poetry, inspired by their cultural heritage. This annual festival showcases how arts and education are positively engaging the youth in the community’s revitalization. The Griot’s Eye is an arts-based youth leadership and community-development program that equips urban youth with technical and cultural skills to produce compelling social media programs that address relevant issues in their lives. Special admission $5.

WJZ-TV 2015 Black History Month Oratory Contest Sunday, February 15, 12pm

WJZ-TV hosts its annual Black History Month Oratory Contest open to all high school students in Maryland. Twenty semi-finalists will be selected to present their memorized essays on selected quotes from African American historical and cultural figures. A panel of judges will select the top three winners who will receive cash prizes and other items from the event sponsors. The snow date is March 8.

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Third Thursday Series: Marc Avon Evans, Baritone Thursday, February 19, 6pm

Enjoy the sultry baritone of Marc Avon Evans as he soothes us with R&B, soul, and jazz. A smooth voice meshed with passionate delivery sets Evans apart from the rest. This singer-songwriter’s latest hit single is “Love on the Dancefloor” with Italy’s own The Funklovers. Part of the museum’s Third Thursday series where the galleries are open late (5-8pm) with live entertainment and cash bar. Special admission $5.

African American Art: An Intro for Kids Saturday, February 21, 3pm

Explore African American art with teaching artist, Culture Queen. Families will see a short children’s video about African American artists, take a mini gallery tour, and create their own artwork inspired by an artist.

Half Past Autumn: The Life and Works of Gordon Parks Sunday, February 22, 2pm

(90 minutes) This documentary takes an intimate look at the life and career of Gordon Parks, a celebrated photographer, novelist, journalist, poet, musician, and filmmaker. The film stretches across two centuries as it traces his life and career from abject poverty in Kansas City, circa 1912, to his astonishing and unprecedented rise as a top photographer for Vogue, Life, and other magazines. The film also documents his later years as a filmmaker and composer up to 2006, the year of his death. Though Parks’ subject matter widely varied, his biggest claim to fame was his heart-stopping photographs of the Southern civil rights movement in the 1960s for Life magazine. Aside from footage and voice-overs of Parks himself, Half Past Autumn features Parks’ children and ex-wives, as well as celebrities and life-long friends Russell Simmons and Gloria Vanderbilt. In conjunction with the exhibition For Whom It Stands.

Open House Sponsored by Verizon Saturday, February 28, 10am-5pm

Celebrate Black History Month with an open house at the museum. Join friends, neighbors, community innovators and business leaders for a day full of interactive tours, activities and entertainment. Free.

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Women’s History Program Living Thinkers: An Autobiography of Black Women in the Ivory Tower Sunday, March 8, 2pm

(75 minutes) Though more than 100 years have passed since the doors to higher education opened for Black women, their numbers as faculty members are woefully low and for many, the image of Black women as intellectuals is still incomprehensible. Through frank and sometimes humorous conversations, this documentary interrogates notions of education for girls and women and the stereotypes and traditions that affect the status of Black women both in and out of the academy. A post-film discussion follows with Bonnie Thornton Dill, Dean of Arts and Humanities at the University of Maryland, College Park; Pamela Scott Johnson, Interim Dean of College of Liberal Arts at Morgan State; and Professor Kelly Brown Douglass of Goucher College.

Irene’s Wish by Jerdine Nolen Family Storytime Hour with the Author (Ages 6-10) Saturday, March 14, 1pm

Discover the power of wishes with a reading by children’s award-winning author Jerdine Nolen of her latest book, Irene’s Wish. A young girl wants her father to be home more often, but her wish takes an unexpected turn in this story of enduring love between parent and child. Create a craft project related to wishes following the reading with lemonade and cookies. Children are encouraged to bring their fathers or grandfathers to the reading. A book signing follows.

Third Thursday Series: Geneva Renee, mezzo-soprano Thursday, March 19, 6pm

After filling in for Mariah Carey at the last minute, Geneva Renee’s acclaim has continued to rise. She is a Grammy-nominated artist who critic Andrea Guy has said “is hard not to draw comparisons to [Whitney Houston].” Enjoy Renee’s neo-soul sounds during Women’s History Month. Part of the museum’s Third Thursday series where the galleries are open late (5-8pm) with live entertainment and cash bar. Special admission $5.

Sista Girl’s Talk: Reclaiming Health, Wealth, and Self Saturday, March 21, 1pm

Join for a nurturing and enlightening afternoon on creating wellness across three essential areas: health, finances, and spirituality. Panelists include Dr. Michelle Gourdine and Dr. Tamara England. Dr. Gourdine is the former deputy secretary for Public Health Services in the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. She is currently the CEO and founder of a health policy consulting firm and author of Reclaiming Our Health: A Guide to African American Wellness. Dr. Tamara England is Assistant Minister at the Enon Baptist Church in Baltimore, Maryland and author of The Journey to Self. A book signing follows.

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t Museum & Gift Shop Hours Wednesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Sunday, Noon – 5 p.m. Third Thursdays Series extended hours, 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.

The museum is closed on Mondays, Tuesdays and the following holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New

Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day and Easter Sunday.

t Café Hours Wednesday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

t Parking $6 validated parking is directly across the street

at the PMI Garage, 815 E. Pratt Street.

t Special Needs Visitors with special needs can contact Visitor Services

at (443) 263-1875. The museum has partnered with the Interpreter Mentoring Program, an initiative

of the Hearing and Speech Agency’s Centralized Interpreter Referral Service to provide interpreting services.

t Group Tours

Guided adult and educational group tours are available with reservations. Call (443) 263-1831. On weekends, a “Museum Highlights”

tour is available at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

t Special Events

To book catered receptions and other events, call Cori Ramos, Director of Sales and Special Events,

at (443) 263-1811.

t Volunteer with Us!If interested, contact Joy Hall, volunteer coordinator

at 443-263-1852 or hall@maamc.org.

830 E. Pratt StreetBalt imore, MD 21202

www.rflewismuseum.org | www.facebook.com/rflewismuseum

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