A letter from Charles G. Gomillion to President Frederick D. Patterson acknowledging his receipt of the 09/11/1940 letter and accepting increase in pay to continue working at Tuskegee.
John Payne was an artist from New Orleans, LA. "Awaiting the Welfare Agents" is a mixed-media depiction of a traditional family with pensive expressions. They are sitting together preparing for a visit from a representative of the Department of Human Services.
Samella Sanders Lewis was a printmaker, painter, sculptor, and art historian from New Orleans, LA. "Barrier" is a drawing that depicts the physical and social barriers between groups of people. In the foreground, three women and a boy suspiciously look at a group of townspeople who return their stare from the other side of a barbed wire fence.
A letter from the university’s fourth president, Dr. Luther Hilton Foster, to Charles G. Gomillion, asking him to serve as Chairman of the Division of Sciences in the College of Arts and Humanities at Tuskegee University.
Ellison’s painting reflects the brutality and grief experienced by the Black community. In the foreground, a skull is pierced by the American flag. On the right side, a headstone honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. is surrounded by nude mourners. In the background, a shadowy dove spreads its wings, perhaps representing MLK’s dream of peace being obscured by white supremacist violence.
A letter from the third President of Tuskegee University, Dr. Frederick D. Patterson, confirming that Charles G. Gomillion will receive an increase in salary and continue his work at Tuskegee University.
Ellison’s pair of murals speaks to political and social issues of the 1960s and 1970s. The murals express hope through resistance, in spite of the challenges facing Black America. In the middle, a bald eagle holds a broken lynch rope in its beak and “the law” in its talons.
Carter’s drawing is of Lee Otis Johnson, a former TSU student, organizer, and leader of the Houston Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. Houston police repeatedly targeted Johnson, and in 1968 they arrested him for passing marijuana to an undercover officer, and a judge sentenced him to 30 years in prison. This injustice gained widespread notoriety, and “Free Lee Otis” became a rallying cry.
Mills’s mural depicts a nation in turmoil, with scenes of racial violence, and pushback by Black protestors. A figure lifts the American flag to reveal white supremacy. On the right side, Stokely Carmichael’s face bursts through the flag, alluding to the 1967 TSU Invasion. During the invasion, 488 TSU students were arrested and Houston Police fired almost 5000 bullets into the men's dormitory.
Johnny Palmer was appointed in 1980 as the first Black sergeant at arms at the Mississippi State Capitol. He had worked at the House as a maintenance and inventory supervisor since 1959. He details the challenges that Robert Clark faced and also talks about the dynamics that the presidents of the major Black colleges had with the House.
Lavaree Jones interviewed by Major O'Neal; both are students in Dr. Alferdteen Harrison’s Oral History class at Jackson State University. He asks her 3 questions about the origins of the Head Start program in Mississippi and the role Head Start plays in the Black community.
A letter from Charles G. Gomillion, the Dean of Students of Tuskegee University and president of the Tuskegee Civic Association, to President Patterson inquiring about his status as employment status for the 1940-1941 academic year.
Ernest Chrichlow was a narrative painter and illustrator from Brooklyn, NY. In 1940, he started a picture book series displaying Black children in positive roles. Paulette depicts a young Black girl playing with a toy. She is wearing overalls, a navy shirt, white sneakers, and a white bow. Behind her is a Heinz Food poster with a white baby.
Settles' painting tackles the ongoing issue of police brutality against and harassment of Black Americans. The fluid swirls on the men's clothing, the anxious onlookers, and the white officer's drawn baton illustrate the high intensity and precarious emotion of the piece.
Al Tyler was an artist known for his figurative murals and landscape paintings. Prayer for Freedom shows two scenes from the fight for Civil Rights. On the left, black and white people are leaving a courthouse, and on the right, armed officials are stopping Black men from entering a building.
Dr. Arthur L. Britt was an artist and educator from Cuthbert, GA. Society Wheels is an abstraction that uses black and white to enact visual chaos and composition. The inclusion of "KKK" positions it as a critique of American race relations and racial violence.
A letter from President Luther H. Foster thanking Charles G. Gomillion for his hard work for the year. In addition, President Foster explained his visits to Indonesia, the far East and Africa for the university.
Eva Booker was an artist from Atlanta, GA. The Road we Trod depicts Black American experiences with white supremacy during the Civil Rights Movement. The piece critiques the KKK, lynching, lunch counter discrimination, education inequality, job orientation, religious hypocrisy and Black people's long march toward freedom in spite of.
An announcment made by Dr Charles G. Gomillion inviting the public to attend a meeting over race relation with Mrs. Dorothy Tilly being a guest speaker.
