By Derek T. Davis
When I came to be the Curator at the Old Dillard Museum, the building was 83 years old. It was a part of a one-hundred-year history that opened in 1907 as a part of Dade County Public Schools and was known as “Colored School No. 11.” The history of the journey from classes held in privately-owned buildings to the first public school for African Americans in Broward County, has been described in other articles in this series. My story starts in 2007 when the museum was limited to the top floor. The bottom floor was a community school with GED and other adult training classes.
I became the Curator of the Museum in May of 2007. Prior to my arrival the museum already had a stellar reputation for cultural programming and thought-provoking exhibits. My friend, Ernestine Ray, was on a health-related sabbatical, and the school system needed someone to come in to complete some of the programs she already had in place, and coordinate renovation plans for the aging building.
Grants for the first year of programming were already in place, but the scheduling of the activities was approaching deadlines. I needed to get those projects up and running quickly and prepare for future years. Fortunately, I had many friends in the arts and history community to help me beat the deadlines. I called on artists such as Charles Mills, Addonis Parker, Wanda Paulette, Nzingah Oniwosan, Winston Bolt, Poetess, David Nuby, Melton Mustafa, Joan Cartwright, “Just Cynthia” Saunders and others for cultural activities. I also relied on local historians such as James Bradley, Beauregard Cummings, and Mary Black Rizor for their expertise. I should also mention educators and scholars such as doctors Niara Sudarkasa, Kitty Oliver, Carol Boyce Davies and others. Many of these friendships were formed during my five years as the Head of Exhibits and Programs at the African American Research Library and Cultural Center.
These friendships helped me to get through that first year and start planning for what ended up as a decade of concerts, seminars, workshops, tours, book discussions, and other celebrations of African American culture in Fort Lauderdale. I would be remiss if I did not mention that I had the help of the Old Dillard Foundation and my staff in making these programs successful. I also relied on the support of agencies such as the Broward County Cultural Division, Funding Arts Broward, Bank of America, and the National Endowment for the Arts, just to name a few.
Yet, through it all, one of my greatest inspirations in the accomplishments that I made at the museum was the building itself, and the history of those who fought to make it an icon in Fort Lauderdale. I credit the building because just walking through its halls and rooms radiates a feeling of warmth and comfort from those who stood for justice, education, and community development. During the changes over the years I was the curator, this feeling now encompasses the entire building. The community schools are no longer on the first floor. So, since 2010, the museum starts at the front door.
I was noticeably inspired by the building and its history soon after I first became the curator. As I pondered how I was going to develop programs and activities for the site, I decided to take a walk through the museum. I wanted to get in touch with what made the place so special. I had already noticed that people from all walks of life—former students, city residents, people from foreign countries, and even those from other cultures– felt something endearing, familiar, and encouraging when they visited.
I walked looking at the furnishings, the photos, the paintings, and the writings on the walls, to see if I could capture in a sentence what I felt was the spirit of the site. At that time, the museum included three permanent exhibits (The Heritage Room, the Jazz Room, and the Minds-On Hands-On Room), The hallway also included artworks and artifacts from African American culture. As I was walking, I was drawn to a copy of Dillard High School’s Alma Mater that was written on a chalk board in the Heritage Room. One of the lines said, “And our young hearts inspired by thee, beat warmly for humanity.”
That one line became my inner drive for all the programs, activities, and exhibitions that I would develop for the museum. To me it says, regardless of the troubles, stumbling blocks, and injustices that are placed in my pathway, my inner being will be inspired by uplifting humanity. I could see that type of drive-in people such as Annie Reed, Joseph Ely, Clarence Walker, Samuel Mosely, Julian (Cannonball) Adderly and a slew of graduates from Dillard High School and Walker Elementary.
I very seldom have told anyone that my goal in overseeing programs at the museum was to promote the feeling I had from that line from the Alma Mater. However, I hope that those who have seen, heard, or been involved with any of my activities have felt it.
