A groundbreaking exhibit on the African American experience in Danville opens on Tuesday, 16 February, 2010, at two locations—the Danville Public Library and Danville Science Center. Drawn from the research and collections of Dr. and Mrs. Lawrence Clark, the displays explore the history of leadership within Danville’s African American community. These leaders responded to overwhelming needs. They gave voice and action to long-deferred dreams of equal opportunity—dreams of quality education and health care for this community within a community.
Leaders in Relief at the Danville Public Library includes twelve important African American leaders exquisitely reproduced in wood relief by West African woodcarvers. These powerful images reflect the fortitude and determination required to survive in a once separate, but unequal America. Featured leaders include local educators such as Avicia Hooper Thorpe, along with notable figures like former Danville Mayor Charles Harris and Franklin County, Virginia native, Booker T. Washington. Admission is free.
Leaders in Relief: A Separate Health at the Danville Science Center explores the origin and functioning of an exclusively black medical facility in Danville— Winslow Hospital. Between 1940 and 1972, Winslow Hospital provided desperately needed healthcare services to the African American community largely excluded from other medical services. Named for a distinguished black physician, Albert Lincoln Winslow, Winslow Hospital offered a wide range of care including pediatrics and treatments for injuries related to occupational risks. Through images and artifacts, the hospital’s story becomes the story of a people struggling to cope with and eliminate healthcare discrimination within their community. Exhibit is included with the cost of regular admission.
The Danville Public Library will host the opening reception on Tuesday, February 16. Festivities begin at 5:30 PM with opening comments by Mayor Sherman Saunders; Calvary Baptist Church Choir performs at 6 PM followed by the exhibit reception. All are welcome!