The Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center
Saint Augustine, Florida
March 24, 2022
The Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center is an African American history museum located in the Lincolnville neighborhood of Saint Augustine. The museum is housed in the historic Excelsior School Building, which served as the first public black high school in Saint Johns County in 1925. After desegregation, the school was closed and the building housed government offices until the mid-1980s. After the offices became less and less used, former Excelsior students and community members rallied to save the building from being demolished.
Mission Statement: "The LMCC's mission is to preserve, promote, and perpetuate over 450 years of the African American story through the arts, educational programs, lectures, live performances, and exhibits."
Official Website: https://www.lincolnvillemuseum.org/
Artifact 1
Pictured above is a famous illustration by Thomas Nast titled "Emancipation". The image first appeared in Harpers Weekly, on Jan. 24, 1863. The original caption in the weekly read: "The Emancipation of the Negroes, January 1863 -- The Past and The Future --Drawn by Mr. Thomas Nast." Two years later, the image was published as a print. The illustration reveals that Nast envisions a somewhat optimistic picture of the future of free blacks in the United States. The central scene of the photo shows the interior of a freedman's home with the family gathered around a wood stove. Below this is an oval portrait of Lincoln, and above it is Thomas Crawford's statue of "Freedom". On either side of the picture are scenes contrasting black life in the South under the Confederacy (left) with visions of the freedman's life after the war (right).
Artifact 2
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., spent one night in the St. Johns Country jail on an unlawful assembly and civil disobedience change on June 11, 1964, after he and other demonstrators picketed downtown St. Augustine. The fingerprint card that was produced when Dr. King was processed at the county jail is the only arrest record of this kind known for him. During the processing, a fingerprint card was borrowed from the Putnam Country Sheriff's Office because St. Johns County deputies ran out of their own after arresting so many Civil Rights demonstrators.
Exterior 1
Exterior 2
In Conversation Image 1
The image above is in conversation with the Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center because of its roots in black history. The above image depicts the idea of Emancipation that was highlighted in the exhibits at the museum. In the Emancipation image that is Artifact 1, Emancipation is described as something hopeful and to be optimistic about. Similarly, this artwork shows a dove of hope flying over the black man who is becoming free. Freedom is depicted through the man breaking out of his shackles as the dove is flying overhead. The vertical line as the woman is holding up the child in the image also shows an optimistic future, as the implied vertical line represents strength, power, and growth.
In Conversation Image 2
Above is a political cartoon describing Civil Rights in America. The cartoon depicts America as not changing or growing and staying stagnant even after Emancipation. Martin Luther King Jr. is pictured with a confused look on his face as he thinks about how America has not completely changed since 1963. In the 1960s, a time of Civil Rights movements, King hopes for a world where the color of one's skin does not define one. The same picture, but displayed in 2022, has the same issue of unequal treatment for black Americans. This refers to the Black Lives Matter movements that have been prominent in the past year because of police brutality and unfair government treatment. This is in conversation with the Lincolnville Museum because the museum is dedicated to African American culture in Saint Augustine and the story of Lincolnville and the historic Excelsior School. The different exhibits inside the museum share the same message of black oppression and even share MLKs journey of protesting in Florida and how he impacted the city.
In Conversation Passage ENG 202
In the excerpt from "[lukao]", by Craig Santos Perez, lines of the writing are crossed out. This is similar to the way in which the African American history of Saint Augustine would be forgotten without monuments such as The Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center. Attempts have been made to diminish the history of black Americans in Saint Augustine through the Trolly routes and the almost instant demolition of the historic school building. Without preservation, pieces of history would be forgotten such as the information in the poem being viewed as less important or disregarded due to the slashes through the text. The inequality of black people in America poses a threat to the history of these people, which is similar to the crossed-out text in the poem. Although trying to erase or cross out these important moments, it makes them stronger and more important. The lines of the poem were crossed out intentionally to show that stories are important because of every detail, and removing these details poses a threat to the story as a whole. The same is true for black history, as all aspects are important in truly telling the entire story.
Creative Component
The shirt above was designed with an online graphic design website called CustomInk which I have never used before. I decided to design a shirt supporting the BLM movement because it shows how Civil Rights are still being fought for in the present day. The Lincolnville Museum was founded to preserve the history of Civil Rights Movements and important figures, and this shirt demonstrates how our society is still fighting for the same equality. History is preserved through visual culture, which is why I decided to design a shirt.
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