A Changing America
1968 and Beyond
"Documenting the post-soul era is not about chronicling the straight line of a social movement, but collecting disparate fragments that form not a linear story, but a collage." - Nelson George 2004
"What are we to make of the last 50 years of progress and paradox? This exhibition examines the strategies Americans have used to wrestle with racial discrimination, cultural exclusion, and economic inequality since 1968 and explores the evolving status of the African American community. Just as the Civil Rights and Black Power movements pursued goals of justice and equality in the 20th century, Americans must decide how to advance these goals into the 21st century."
1970s
"The decade of the 1970s was one of political firsts and cultural rebirth. It began with the activist fervor of the antiwar and minority rights movement. Affirmative Action bolstered enrollment at universities, while federal and city hiring provided Black families with better job options. But as Black mayors were elected, the debilitating impact of white flight kicked in. By the end of the decade, the African American middle class continued to expand, but others stayed trapped within cycles of poverty."
1980s
"The 1980s were years of paradox. Enterprising women and men pursued advanced degrees and gained footholds in professional sectors. But many families lost access to services that kept children supervised and off the streets when the Reagan administration abandoned key social programs. The introduction of cheap drugs into Black communities spawned violence and incarceration, with devastating consequences for Black males and the Black family. The messages in Hip-Hop communicated these urban woes and called for civic action.
1990s
"The 1990s saw a growing influx of Caribbean and African immigrants. Black America grew more diverse culturally but still faced racial discrimination. Entertainers and activists tried to regain the political consciousness and soul power of previous generations by borrowing tactics popularized during the Civil Rights Movement. Millions marched to protest police brutatilty and the social ills affecting their lives. With the international rise of hip-hop, Black performers in America commanded the world stage."
2000s
"In 2005, Hurricane Katrina and subsequent flooding devastated New Orleans and the surrounding areas. Beginning in 2008, a crippling recession undercut the security of poor and middle-class families nationwide. Home foreclosures hit Black Americans hard. Yet the appeal of the country as a land of promise continued to attract an influx of Black immigrants. And the decade closed with the election of the nation's first African American President."