Students and faculty take time to remember historical heroes

Students were encouraged to anonymously share their hopes on the gallery banner (photo by Amy Rose).

Mason’s class council held a celebration of the March on Washington’s 50^th anniversary with a picture gallery at The Ridge on Jan. 24.

The photo exhibit consisted of different black and white photos from Martin Luther King’s era and that of President Barrack Obama.

The historical pictures were some that students have seen throughout their elementary years. Captions and dates were shown underneath the pictures so visitors could read about the story behind each photo and see when the pictures were taken. 

The exhibit displayed how different states handled segregation.

According to the Residential Student Program Coordinator of Housing and Residence Life, Joey Allen, one of the most eye catching photos was a picture of a woman named Gloria Richardson pushing a National Guardsman’s bayonet aside. 

The caption read, “Mrs. Gloria Richardson, head of the Cambridge Nonviolent Action Committee, pushes National Guardsman’s bayonet aside as she moves among a crowd of African Americans to convince them to disperse in Cambridge, Maryland. 1963.”

“It took me by surprise when I was putting up the pictures earlier.  It is a great photo because a black female is the person calming the crowd down,” Allen said.

Also pictured around the “Legacy of Dreams” exhibit, were actual photos of the March on Washington in 1963.

Another great image included was one of President Obama in 2012 on the exact bus Rosa Parks was arrested on.

Students were also given the chance to write on a construction paper covered wall titled, “What do you want to see in the next 50 years?” 

Some of the anonymous answers written in marker were “I hope the world will be a less greedy and selfish place,”  “Equality between men and women,” and “Gay rights should be rights.” 

Attendants of the event were able to express themselves anonymously and reflect.  Because our generation is such a picture-oriented one, the exhibit was fitting  to get students thinking about our country’s past.