Special Exhibition on Black Citizenship in the Jim Crow Era Explores Hard Truth of Post-Slavery from Reconstruction to World War I, Opening July 20 at the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum

News provided by

Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum

Jul 17, 2023, 04:00 ET

DALLAS, July 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum is pleased to announce a new special exhibition, Black Citizenship in the Age of Jim Crow, opening to the public on July 20, 2023, exploring the life of Black Americans in the 50 years following the end of the Civil War and the emancipation of enslaved African Americans.

Organized by the New-York Historical Society, the exhibition takes visitors from the Civil War to the end of World War I and examines how Black Americans advocated for equal rights in a hostile system. Artifacts, photographs, and other media illustrate these transformative decades in American history and their continued relevance.

"This exhibition will provide visitors with valuable insights into the difficult circumstances faced by African Americans in the post-slavery era as the nation struggled to make emancipation and true equality a reality," said Mary Pat Higgins, Museum president and CEO. "I believe this exhibition will help anchor the ongoing civil rights conversation in the minds and hearts of our visitors as they take what they learn from the Museum out into the world."

By 1868, slavery had been abolished and all persons born in the United States were citizens and equal before the law. Efforts to create an interracial democracy, however, were contested from the start, and a harsh backlash ensued, ushering in the "separate but equal" age of Jim Crow during which a system of second-class citizenship and racial segregation was put in place across the nation. Black Citizenship, on view through December 31, concludes with an exploration of Black military service during World War I and the struggle for equality in the decades to follow.

The Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum is grateful for the generous support of this special exhibition from anchor sponsors Amazon, Debbie and Ron Greene, Humanities Texas, Nissan Foundation, and Texas Capital. Additional support is provided by Match Group, Bank of Texas, Larry Ginsburg, transportation sponsor NFI, and airline sponsor American Airlines.

Lead support for the organization of the exhibition was provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH): Exploring the human endeavor, and major support was provided by the Ford Foundation and Crystal McRary and Raymond J. McGuire. Made possible locally in part by a grant from Humanities Texas, state NEH affiliate.

SOURCE Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum