Attend Black History Canvas Paint Workshop At The GANTT

Bring the family to the Gantt this weekend February 17th for an interactive workshop where paint marries creativity, individuality, and inspiration. In celebration of Black History Month join in on this inspirational Black history canvas paint workshop! Please bring a pre-drawn canvas that you will bring to life. Don't be shy, your canvas can feature powerful symbols that represent Black history, triumph, and peace. While artistic creations will be shared, everyone in your group will bring a unique perspective to their interpretation of the importance of Black History Month. You will be adding a personal touch by including a cherished inspirational quote, from a prominent African American icon, that resonates with you. For instance, this quote is by Shirley Chisholm "If they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair." Shirley Chisholm was the first Black congresswoman.

This workshop welcomes children ages 7 and older, and families. Michelle "Bunny" Gregory, is an artist from Charlotte, NC. She is talented in fashion illustration, with a degree from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, Gregory flourished as the head of design at Creatrix for eight years. Her achievements include the QC Family Tree - Culture Bearers Residency (2022);, being named as one of Charlotte is Creative's "2022 Creatives to Watch," and receiving the Charlotte is Creative HUG Grant in 2021. Bunny's artistic journey transcends borders, with a prestigious Artist in Residency in Berlin, Germany, and current representation as a Palette Table artist with 9189 Studio Gallery at VAPA.

Curious about more amazing writers, check out a James Baldwin quote, "Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced." James Baldwin was said to have the longest FBI File of any Black Artist of the Civil Rights Era. Baldwin didn't become a famous writer until his father died, and Baldwin loved to write at night. In 1953, Baldwin's first novel, Go Tell It on the Mountain, a semi-autobiographical bildungsroman was published. Baldwin began writing it when he was seventeen and published it in Paris. Check out his collection of essays, Notes of a Native Son appeared two years later.

Throughout the country, many buildings and iconic landmarks were built using the labor of enslaved people. The physical legacy of slavery can still be seen in the U.S. Capitol and the White House. The residences of former presidents, including George Washington's Mount Vernon and James Madison's Montpelier, and universities were built by slave labor. South Carolina's Fort Sumter, where the Civil War began in 1861, and the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, Florida, are other landmarks that were constructed with slave labor.

It's been over 400 years since the first 20 enslaved people were brought to America. This was highlighted by former First Lady Michelle Obama in 2016. She said, "I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves." She was talking about the White House. The first African American first lady delivered this speech at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

Two of Washington, DC's most well-known landmarks, the White House and the United States Capitol, were built in large part by enslaved African Americans. The National Archives holdings include wage rolls, promissory notes, and vouchers that document the work done by enslaved people on these two historic structures.

According to the National Archives, enslaved people helped build the White House. The records have over 120 names of people listed as "Negro hire" who worked with white workers from the United States and Europe. Unfortunately, the record also states that the slave owners rather than the slaves were paid for their work. Building the White House took eight years to finish, with work beginning in 1792.

Business Insider reported that after its completion, presidents continued to use enslaved people to maintain the household. Additionally, seven presidents even brought their own enslaved people, including Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Andrew Jackson, and Zachary Taylor.

As we continue to celebrate Black history, take a look at some of the buildings designed and built by Black people.

Alongside the White House, African American slaves, along with free Black and white laborers, helped build the United States Capitol. In 2012, Congress added a marker to honor their contribution, featuring a sandstone block and bronze plaque. The White House Historical Association's website notes that in 1815, abolitionist Jesse Torrey criticized the irony of American slavery and freedom while observing the ruins of the U.S. Capitol burned by British troops during the War of 1812. "The lengthy process of constructing the U.S. Capitol relied upon free and enslaved laborers at every step," they wrote on its website.

Pierre Charles L'Enfant is credited with designing the plans for Washington, D.C. in 1791. He had a team of surveyors assisting him, including Benjamin Banneker, a self-taught mathematician serving as the official assistant surveyor. According to the Smithsonian, former President George Washington requested L'Enfant, an established architect by then, to survey the area and suggest locations for buildings and streets. L'Enfant arrived in Georgetown on a rainy night in March 1791 and immediately began his work. Additionally, they said that Thomas Jefferson had outlined a small and simple federal town, but L'Enfant presented a much more ambitious plan when reporting back to the president.

The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill saw its first Black undergraduates receive degrees in 1955. However, most of the initial campus buildings of the nation's oldest public university were constructed by African American slaves in 1793, and they maintained these structures until 1865. In 2018, marking the school's 225th anniversary, Chancellor Carol L. Folt issued an apology for the university's ties to slavery, saying, "As chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, I offer our university’s deepest apology for the profound injustices of slavery, our full acknowledgment of the strength of enslaved peoples in the face of their suffering, and our respect and indebtedness to them."

Wall Street in New York is globally recognized as the epicenter of America's financial system. It's less known that African American slaves were responsible for constructing the wall from which Wall Street derives its name. Built in 1653 in Lower Manhattan, the wall served as a defense for Dutch settlers of New Amsterdam against British invasion. It stood until 1699, when the British assumed control, renaming the area New York. Additionally, Wall Street housed one of the largest slave markets in the country during the 1700s.

Despite Thomas Jefferson's role as one of the authors of the Declaration of Independence and his writings on equality, he owned over 600 slaves during his lifetime. His grand Monticello residence was constructed using slave labor. Slaves quarried limestone, crafted bricks, and built the house's frame. The expansive Virginia estate of Thomas Jefferson offers daily tours. In 2014, former President Barack Obama conducted a tour for former French President Francois Hollande, noting that the house symbolizes the complex history of slavery in the U.S., acknowledging Jefferson's connections to it despite his involvement in drafting the Declaration of Independence.

Established in 1817, Harvard Law School was financially supported by Isaac Royall Jr., a slave owner whose wealth primarily stemmed from African enslaved people working on sugar plantations and farms. Royall and his father possessed nearly 65 slaves, surpassing any other slave owner in Massachusetts. In 2017, the school unveiled a plaque commemorating the role of slavery money in constructing the law school. The plaque lacks specific names of the unknown identities of those owned by Royall. Harvard has issued a report on the institution's connections to slavery, accompanied by recommendations for reparations, including economic and educational support for the descendants of slaves.