16 Black Classicists

16 Black Classicists

Blazing a Trail in Academics

Gallery

Exhibition Dates: January 21, 2025 - February 13, 2025
Opening Reception: Thursday, January 30, 5 pm - 8 pm
Closing Reception: Thursday, February 13, 5 pm - 8 pm

Artist Statement

In October of 1772, a group of 18 prominent men in Boston questioned the enslaved Phillis Wheatley about poems that she claimed to have written. The investigation sought to quell disbelief that an "uncultivated Barbarian from Africa" had been able to learn Latin and produce artful, original verse based on her own understanding of Graeco-Roman antiquity. In the aftermath of emancipation, a century or so after Wheatley had won the approbation of these men, the 12 men and 4 women featured in this exhibition confronted the same questions about their ability and their desire to engage in classical studies. At a time when a liberal arts education was virtually synonymous with the study of classical languages, their lives illustrate the achievements of students, teachers, and scholars of Greek, Latin, archaeology, ancient history, and pedagogy when opportunities for Black Americans to study academic subjects were severely limited. These pioneering men and women highlight heretofore unexplored ways by which they obtained access to education and dispelled doubts about Black intellectual capacity. Their efforts offer a unique opportunity to reflect on the meaning and purpose of higher education in the struggle for equality. They demonstrate that although there may be social segregation, it is impossible to segregate the mind.

- Michele Ronnick, Distinguished Service Professor at Wayne State University.

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