Museum mural
I thought it was a new day in Mississippi until a painting on the walls at the Museum of the Mississippi Delta was brought to my attention.
Why is there a large mural painting of a white man on a horse looking down on several African American slaves picking cotton in a field? These symbols of racism cut deeply, and it’s shocking that this racist mural would be displayed in today’s world. Why would the museum celebrate such racist art? What is this museum’s purpose in celebrating this hurtful scene?
The white man carries with him a white horse while my people hang their heads low. The public is due an explanation from the museum as to why it feels it is appropriate to idolize such a dark and racist time in Mississippi history.
Editor’s note: The Museum of the Mississippi Delta provided the following response.
The Museum of the Mississippi Delta is an institution that welcomes all to learn about the history and culture of the Mississippi Delta. Unfortunately, telling the Delta’s story in a factual way sometimes involves the display of culturally sensitive items.
The museum would like to apologize for the pain this item caused. Additionally, the museum would like to thank you for bringing this to our attention. Great care will be taken in the future to label items that are culturally sensitive and to provide contextual information to visitors as to why it was chosen for exhibition.
In choosing items to exhibit, the museum carefully selects items that will further its mission. The murals on display are part of a temporary exhibit featuring the work of the late Greenwood artist, Lalla Walker Lewis, and are on loan from the Leflore County Board of Supervisors.
Ms. Lewis was hired by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1938 to paint the murals for the old public library. The WPA was one of President Roosevelt’s New Deal programs intended to stimulate the economy after the Great Depression. Through the WPA’s Federal Art Project, the government employed thousands of artists whose work told the stories of rural communities in everyday situations. It is because of these artists that we are able to view a period of history that probably would have remained undocumented due to the economic hardships most Americans were facing at that time.
