Two Connecticut museums are shedding light on the hardships Black Americans faced during the civil rights movement inside the country and inside the state.
One stroll around the Mobility in Connecticut exhibit at the Wadsworth Museum in Hartford and you're instantly put into the middle of Connecticut's rich history.
The Amistad Center for Art & Culture is highlighting some of the biggest moments Black Americans faced in Hartford. The exhibit reminds visitors of the inequalities Black people faced and the role activism played in working to improve education, affordable housing, even access to employment and food.
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Moriah Peoples is the gallery and collections manager for the Amistad Center and told NBC Connecticut a lot of time and energy was poured into researching the moments leading up to the modern-day African American experience.
"It has been an incredible opportunity for younger generations to come to the exhibit and learn from the exhibit and I've overheard in conversations between the younger generation and their grandparents," said Peoples. "We don't not have a history of activism here, it was very much a part of who we were in the '60s and '70s especially and so just revisiting that spirit of that resolve to fight."
At the New Britain Museum of American Art, the effort to highlight the contributions of diverse artists and their work happens year-round.
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The museum has a section of paintings and photographs on the wall that is a part of the "People and Places in America, 1960s to Today" exhibit.
Lisa Williams is the associate curator at the museum and told NBC Connecticut the exhibit brings awareness to the struggle in American life while confronting the ongoing conversations about race, gender and identity.
"We really try to ensure that there is an equal representation or equal as we can now and moving forward," said Williams. "We have worked through the years to include the work of more women artists, more artists of color, more artists of diverse backgrounds to make sure their stories are being reflected. If the art isn’t on the wall, the stories aren’t being told.”
The New Britain Museum of American Art told NBC Connecticut this exhibit is the beginning of phase one of the "30 Americans" and Juneteenth exhibition set to start in June. The Amistad Center will host the exhibit through April.
The Amistad Center for Art & Culture will host a virtual Black History Month Community Conversation that relates to 'Changing Lanes: Mobility in Connecticut' on Feb. 23 at 10 a.m.
