Reimagining Monuments

Stories inevitably get lost to history, but when a pattern emerges that shows the lost histories belonging to Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian, Queer peoples, we must take it upon ourselves to search for what we know to be true: Just because histories are not readily apparent, does not mean they never happened. History is written through access to primary source documents, and if people did not or could not write, it is less likely we will learn about them through the traditional historical archive. Oral history traditions, art, artifacts, and descendents provide a wealth and depth of information for the historical record. These artists expose hidden histories while also connecting with the narratives of past lived experiences.

Black ingenuity is quite possibly its own skillset. In this context ingenuity leads to survival. Ingenuity is the mother of invention, correct? In the case of artworks pictured here, ingenuity was the complex network of people and places connected to the Underground Railroad. Brave scouts led enslaved people to freedom and returned to the South to liberate more. Christopher Wallace, AKA Notorious B.I.G. used ingenuity grounded in talent to change his life’s trajectory, from drug dealer to rap superstar. Ingenuity is not to be mistaken with meritocracy, an invented term that supports rugged individualism. Ingenuity is found in community, in talking with and learning from others. Rugged individualism and meritocracy both espouse the belief that if you work hard enough you can succeed at anything. While this is true for some, it does not take into account intergenerational wealth, social capital, and institutional trauma that happens at school, by police, in hospitals, at work, and in public parks, etc. Ingenuity looks within and accesses the gifts they already contain as a guidepost. Bravery, curiosity, and determination are all necessary, too. Ingenuity organizes these characteristics to make use of them.