Exhibition
The exhibition They Came to Fight: African Americans and the
Great World War will open on UMKC’s campus at the African
American Culture House on May 21, 2009 from 6-8pm. The
exhibit will be on view through June 20, 2009. Regular gallery
hours are Tuesday thru Friday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Memorial Day 2009
On May 25, 2009 the National World War I Museum at Liberty
Memorial will sponsor a public lecture featuring Dr. Chad
Williams of Hamilton College and Dr. Pellom McDaniels III of the
University of Missouri - Kansas City. In a roundtable type
format, Dr. Williams and Dr. McDaniels will discuss the
significance of African American soldiers to the success of the
Allied Forces in Europe and what their efforts suggested to
blacks as a whole as it related to their ability to claim their
citizenship in the United States.
One of the events planned around this presentation will be the
laying of a ceremonial wreath at the Liberty Memorial in honor
of African American soldiers who served and died on behalf of
their country. In addition, local artist Alexander Austin will
present a painting inspired by the memory of African Americans
who served during WWI, while commemorating the
contributions of black soldiers from the Kansas City region who
fought for freedom and democracy. Limited edition prints
produced from this painting will be used to generate the funding
necessary to continue to educate the public about this
important chapter in Kansas City’s history.
Finally, on May 26th
from 12-2pm at the African American
Culture House on the UMKC campus, Dr. McDaniels will host Dr.
Williams in a community luncheon and lecture.
All events are free and open to the public
>>For more info : Small PDF | Large PDF.
 They Came To Fight Curriculum Materials The 'They Came To Fight' exhibition is now available in the form of a curriculum. For more information on the same, please contact Dr. Pellom McDaniels at mcdanielsp@umkc.edu . |
Opening Reception
The curators would like to thank all the members of the Kansas City community that came to the exhibition's opening reception at the African American History & Culture House at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
>>Please click here for images from the opening.
Upward Bound
Students from Upward Bound visited the exhibition to get a meaningful insight into the life and times of their African-American forefathers.
>>Please click here for images from the visit.
Panel Discussion
The exhibition was recently part of an engaging panel discussion.
>>Please click here for images from the event.
Grandview High School Visit
The students of Grandview High School recently stopped by for a look at the exhibition.
>>Please click here for images from their visit.
The exhibition and programming were made possible by the following sponsors:
The African American History & Culture House
UMKC Student Affairs & Enrollment Management
UMKC College of Arts & Sciences
UMKC Department of History
UMKC American Studies Program
UMKC Office of Diversity and Equity
UMKC LGBT Programs
UMKC Special Collections
National World War I Museum
Black Archives of Mid-American in Kansas City
Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
Emory University
Missouri History Museum
Kansas City Public Library Missouri Valley Room
Herman Johnson,LLC
The Pellom McDaniels III Collection