“I’m overwhelmed. I didn’t expect this kind of reaction,” said curator Gwen Moore as she reflected on the Missouri History Museum’s 13-month run of “#1 in Civil Rights: The African American Freedom Struggle in St. Louis.”
Nearly 250,000 people have taken in the exhibit that uses several mediums to convey the city’s rich history of protest – making the exhibit the fourth most visited ever at the History Museum.
“It’s been really gratifying that people have embraced this the way that they have,” said Moore, “I just wanted to St. Louis to know that we have a rich civil rights history and to make people aware of our contributions to the national movement.”
The massive exhibit includes original visual art, theatrical performances, recorded oral history, videos and more are woven into the exhibit that gives comprehensive insight that stretches two centuries.
On April 15, the exhibit will close with a robust week of culminating programming that includes a visit from Pulitzer Prize winning columnist and author Eugene Robinson, a talk by Rev. Traci Blackmon, musical performances and more that begin on April 8.
“It’s bittersweet,” Moore said. “We knew going in that it was going to be a temporary exhibit – and a lot of people have said that it should be a permanent exhibit, which was wonderful to hear – but we hate to see it go.”
Many believed that the conversation of activism in the region began with Ferguson, but “#1 In Civil Rights” shows Ferguson unrest as the latest chapter in a continuum of fighting for justice, equality and freedom.
In 1819, even before Missouri was received statehood, protestors took to the steps of the old courthouse of our city to rally against the territory entering the union as a slave state.
“I wanted people know about our civil rights history, because so many people told me when I was doing this research for this that we didn’t have one – and I knew that what they were saying wasn’t true,” Moore said. “If they can just take away that we do have this rich history of activism in this city – which is not how we tend to think about St. Louis – that was one of my major points to make. It’s an important part of our history.”
Upon entering “#1 In Civil Rights,” which was inspired by a 1964 St. Louis American editorial of the same name by then publisher Judge Nathan Young, there is video of a marching demonstration to give visitors the sense that they are active participants in a direct action.
“Our team wanted to be faithful to the history,” Moore said. “And we were always actively engaged in the pursuit of equal rights.”
As the exhibit details, the history of Civil Rights activism in St. Louis is robust – and with major national impact. In addition to the marches and direct actions, there were legal battles with St. Louis connections that contributed to major gains in the efforts towards equal rights. The Dred Scott case was one of many “Freedom Suits” where the enslaved argued for the liberation that should have been granted by law. The case was one of four U.S. Supreme Court Cases with roots in St. Louis that tackled racism and toppled discriminatory practices.
One of the giants who used her brilliant legal career to improve the conditions of African Americans in this country was longtime St. Louis resident Frankie Muse Freeman.
Having Freeman attend the opening reception for the exhibit was one of the most treasured experiences for Moore.
“I was prepared in my remarks to give reverence to people who had a major role in the activism that helped shape the exhibit, but could not attend the opening,” Moore said.
As she entered the auditorium, Ms. Freeman was one of the first people Moore laid eyes upon.
“She was there – at 100 years old,” Moore said. “That was emotional moment for me – it was all the validation I needed.”
Ms. Freeman passed away several months after the exhibit opened, but the validation for “#1 in Civil Rights” continued by way of the public for its entire run.
“I wanted people to come out with a sense of pride. We have a lot to be proud of,” Moore said. “We have a problematic, troubled history in this city – and in this country.
But we also have a history that we can be proud of – because we fought against this racism and discrimination.”
The Missouri History Museum Exhibit #1 in Civil Rights: The African American Freedom Struggle in St. Louis continues through April 15, 2018 at The Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis MO, 63112. The exhibit will close with a week of culminating activities from April 8 – April 15. For more information and related programming, call (314) 746-4599 or visit www.mohistory.org.
