It has become a new family tradition that for Black History Month we visit something of historical significance. In 2018, we visited a traveling exhibit, A Place for All People. The year prior, we visited Muhammad Ali’s childhood home that was restored into a museum, along with his grave site in Louisville.
Mary Church Terrell: An Original Oberlin Activist Traveling Exhibit
This year, we opted for a university campus visit and the “Mary Church Terrell: An Original Oberlin Activist – A traveling exhibition of the Oberlin College Libraries” at Butler University in Indianapolis, IN.
The University was a short drive from where we were at – at Circle Centre Mall. Once we arrived on campus, we found off-street parking and headed towards the Irwin Library.
Mary Church Terrell – Inside the Exhibit
Once inside the library, you could immediately see where the exhibit was set up. The exhibit is available to be viewed for free until March 15th, 2019 during regular library hours at the Irwin Library.
The exhibit highlights the work of Mary Church Terrell who was born in 1863 and passed away in 1954. She was a suffragist, social justice and civil rights activist, political organizer, author, and educator.
In addition, it is important to note that she was the daughter of slaves who had no college education. And, although they were not college educated, they knew the importance of a college education and made sure that Mary pursued one.
Mary’s Accomplishments
Each informational stand gives very detailed information on her life such as the fact that Mary’s parents were successful business owners. Her father, Robert has often been referred to as the first Black millionaire in the South.
Mary later obtained undergraduate and graduate degrees from Oberlin making her one of the first African American women to earn a college degree. Furthermore, she created the National Association of Colored Women, and signed the charter that established the National Association for the Advancement for Colored People (NAACP).
Finally, when she was 77, her autobiography, A Colored Woman in a White World, was published. The book details her experiences with gender and race discrimination. When my youngest son saw that this achievement happened at 77, he made a comment that she was “old”.
Teachable Moments
At that moment, I explained to him that, sometimes things take time, but more importantly, age is only a number. I further explained to him that it was best to have had the achievement at 77 – than not at all.
Wouldn’t you agree?
Final Thoughts
I’m glad we had the opportunity to experience this exhibit and learn something new about someone we knew very little to nothing about. Moving on from here, we can further the conversation at home and further our learning by doing research on her and/or her works. Lastly, with us visiting this exhibit, it gave the boys exposure to another college and university campus.
“It is only through the home that a people can become really good and truly great.”
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