Through October 20, 2019

Joyner Library, Janice Hardison Faulkner Gallery

East Carolina University

"…We had averted our eyes for far too long, turning away from the ugly reality facing us as a nation. Let the world see what I’ve seen.” – Mamie Till Bradley

In September 1955, shortly after 14-year-old Emmett Till was murdered by white supremacists in Mississippi, his grieving mother, Mamie Till Bradley, distributed to newspapers and magazines a gruesome black-and-white photograph of his mutilated corpse. The mainstream media rejected the photograph as inappropriate for publication, but Bradley was able to turn to African American periodicals for support. Asked why she would do this, Bradley explained that by witnessing, with their own eyes, the brutality of segregation, Americans would be more likely to support the cause of civil rights.

"For All the World to See: Visual Culture and the Struggle for Civil Rights," a nationally touring exhibition from NEH on the Road, opens Sept. 1 in Joyner Library’s Janice Hardison Faulkner Gallery. Through a compelling assortment of photographs, television clips, art posters and historic artifacts, the exhibition traces how images and media disseminated to the American public transformed the modern civil rights movement.

Visitors to the immersive display will explore dozens of compelling visual images, including photographs from influential magazines, such as Life, Jet and Ebony, CBS news footage and TV clips from "The Ed Sullivan Show." Also included are civil rights-era objects that exemplify the range of negative and positive imagery — from Aunt Jemima syrup dispensers and 1930s produce advertisements to Jackie Robinson baseball ephemera and 1960s children’s toys with African American portraiture.

"For All the World to See" is not a history of the civil rights movement, but rather an exploration of the vast number of potent images that influenced how Americans perceived race and the struggle for equality.

COMPLEMENTARY EVENTS

COMPLEMENTARY EXHIBITS THROUGHOUT JOYNER

"The 10 Demands: ECU Student Activism During the Late 1960s"

First Floor, Oct. 1–Dec. 20

This exhibit highlights student activism on ECU’s campus during the late 1960s which emerged from grievances publicized by the institution’s African American student population. Using items from University Archives collections, this exhibit highlights the actions undertaken by African American students and their supporters, particularly the Society of United Liberal Students (SOULS) organization, against policies they viewed as unjust. By focusing on items from the period, viewers will be able to see the impact that student activism had on changing the culture on campus and providing more opportunities for African American students.

"Civil Rights in North Carolina: Eastern Perspective"

Third Floor, Sept. 1–Dec. 20

While much has been said about the Greensboro sit-ins in relation to civil rights activity in North Carolina, some of the state’s more historically intense and significant developments occurred in the heart of eastern North Carolina. The primary documents and news coverage included in the exhibit highlight prominent figures like Floyd McKissick, W.C. Chance and the “Great Agitator” himself, Golden A. Frinks, and events including the Williamston Freedom Movement of 1957-63, the Hyde County School boycott of 1969 and Greenville protests of 1969 and ’71. The exhibit also features a rare 1960 pamphlet touting the success of the state’s first lunch-counter desegregation in Winston-Salem (May 1960), two months before Greensboro.

"Words and Silences: Media and the Civil Rights Movement"

Fourth Floor, Sept. 1–Dec. 20

The media played an important role in the civil rights movement. Through the national news, the injustices against African Americans and their protests were brought into every living room. But even more telling than the news aired and reported is when and where there was silence. This exhibit focuses on the complexities of how the media helped and hindered the movement. The display includes books from the Gene Roberts Collection. Roberts and his co-author, Hank Klibanoff, won a Pulitzer for their book "The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation."

For more information about the exhibits and events, please contact Heather White, Joyner Library's associate director for assessment and engagement, at whiteh@ecu.edu.

Individuals requesting accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) should contact the Department for Disability Support Services at least 48 hours prior to the event at 252-737-1016 (voice/TTY).

"For All the World to See: Visual Culture and the Struggle for Civil Rights" was curated by Dr. Maurice Berger, research professor, The Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture, University of Maryland, Baltimore County. It was co-organized by The Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. "For All the World to See" has been made possible through NEH on the Road, a special initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). It has been adapted and is being toured by Mid-America Arts Alliance. Founded in 1972, Mid-America Arts Alliance is the oldest regional nonprofit arts organization in the United States.