On Sunday afternoon, passers-by in Dawes Park stopped to listen to anthropologist Edward C. Davis IV.

The afro-american studies teacher in a high school in Illinois describes how he discovered the black and indigenous history of his family. He traced his ancestors back to the Angolan king Dago Gonwelão and the Angolan chestnuts who left colonial English Virginia to live with the Saponi tribe.

As Maroon, Davis said it can be uncomfortable to talk about the past at times, but it can also be empowering.

“We have learned to keep it a secret,” Davis said. “(But) … it’s discovering these stories, these connections, these truths that can bring us together.”

Davis’ presentation was one of three different booths at the “We Walk: A Celebration of Black Community” event hosted by the Haitian American Museum of Chicago and Crossing Borders Music. The exhibit highlighted the contributions of the black American community to art, science, and music in American history.

HAMOC hosted “We Walk” for the first time in October 2020 so that members of the museum could engage with the community despite its closure due to the pandemic.

Sunday’s event was the second time HAMOC has hosted the exhibition, this time with the support of a grant from the Evanston Arts Council intended to support the arts in the community. HAMOC plans to host the exhibit again next month in North Lawndale.

Carlos Bossard, executive director of HAMOC, said the museum’s main goal is to educate others about the contributions and history of the black community. He said that at its core, a museum is about engaging with the public and sharing knowledge. With “We Walk,” Bossard said, people don’t have to come to the museum – the museum comes to them.

“We bring them education in a very easy and accessible way,” Bossard said.

Sunday’s exhibition featured three different stands and a musical performance. The stands focused on the Underground Railroad, the Illinois Trail of Tears, black internationalism, and black inventors and scientists.

The musical performance highlighted black artists like Sabrina Claire Detty Jean Louis, Jean R. Perrault and Bienen rookie Kailie Holliday.

Tom Clowes, executive director of Crossing Borders Music, said he hopes performers can use music as a way to express Haitian culture in a way they feel is accurate and representative.

“I think it can transcend language and distance boundaries to change and open hearts and minds,” Clowes said.

For Bossard, including music in the event not only brings an informative and musical dimension to the exhibition, but also allows performers to connect in their own way with black composers.

Bossard said highlighting and uplifting black history is a way to give back to the community, especially after COVID-19’s disproportionate toll on black communities.

“By showcasing the history, culture and successes of black people throughout history, this is our way of bringing something back,” Bossard said. “This is our conversation about how we can put the spotlight on Black history, culture and community.”

E-mail: [email protected]

Twitter: @KarinaPham_

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