different meanings of "blackness"

Copies of the posters to be used in
an  upcoming art exhibition.

While working on their weekly readings concerning African American life in cities, the students in this course knew they would soon be analyzing posters for an upcoming art exhibition. The posters tell a story about the shared struggles of Afro Brazilians and African Americans. The exhibition along with a Brown Bag discussion and lecture by Brazilian researchers Amilcar Periera will be held at the University of Alabama on April 23. University of Alabama Assistant History Professor Teresa Cribelli is the lead organizer. One of her classes is also analyzing a select group of posters. Together, both classes will produce two separate curatorial statements, reflecting impressions of posters. University of Alabama Assistant Professor of Art History Lucy Curzon has provided insight on getting the students to see how art images can "speak." As the photo here demonstrates, the themes that "spoke" to the students enrolled in "African Americans in the City" this semester are resistance, education, community, black consciousness and oppression. Next week, as they continue working on this project, the class will use Ula Taylor's study on Jamaican-born Amy Jacques Garvey, wife of Pan Africanist Marcus Garvey, and Aline Helg's exploration of Afro-Colombians, to explore how "blackness" has different meanings in and outside the United States. How those different meanings still permit people of African descent to share particular experiences and impressions will drive this lesson.