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Art shows progress for the city

Posted on Nov 30, 2009 in Opinion

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Recently my art class went on a field trip to the Birmingham Museum of Art. It was probably the most fulfilling trip to the museum I’ve ever had because it was the first time I’ve had someone there — the teacher of the art class — to explain different aspects of the works to me.

One of the best parts of the trip was visiting the new African American gallery. The art itself was fascinating, but the story behind the gallery was what intrigued and inspired me.

Only a few decades ago, Birmingham was at the center of one of the most despicable acts of human kind: the oppression of a people due to the color of their skin.

We’ve all seen the pictures of “white only” and “colored only” water fountains. We’ve all heard the horror stories of people being blasted with water hoses on the streets of Birmingham. I’ve lived in Birmingham my entire life and have heard about and seen these horrible images countless times.

However, I’ve never really stopped while walking downtown and thought, “Those terrible acts happened right here, in the exact spot in which I am standing right now.” Not until that day at the museum, that is.

Besides the discussions on composition and value, I learned something else at the museum that day. When Birmingham was a segregated city, blacks were only allowed into the Birmingham Museum of Art one day a week. If a black person showed up to the museum on the wrong day, he or she was refused admittance.

I’m sure that I have assumed that the segregation of the city included the museum, but it didn’t really hit me until that moment when I was standing in the museum’s brand new African American art gallery.

Just a few decades ago, blacks were barely allowed inside the museum. Now there is an entire gallery dedicated to their art, culture and heritage.

Our city has some problems. First of all, there’s that thing with the mayor. Then there’s the economy, which is pretty much a nationwide problem. We’ve got a horrible public transportation system. The air quality isn’t that great. Any city will have its problems.

However, over the past half century, Birmingham has progressed immensely. We’ve gone from one of the most segregated places in the country to one of the most diverse.

Just take a look around you the next time you’re walking down University Boulevard; count all the different skin colors. Listen to people around you at the mall while you do your Christmas shopping, and count all the different accents. Birmingham has grown and learned to accept everyone, and I’m proud to call this place home.

Email: hwebber@uab.edu

 




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