Blyden Delany Academy, 2466 West McKinley Avenue, presents its first annual exhibit "Student Art at Blyden--Reflection of Culture, History and Pride" featuring the premier of the student driven historical traveling exhibit "Emmett--For Our Children of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" on Saturday, August 26, at the Wisconsin African American Women’s Center, 3020 West Vliet Street beginning at 1 p.m.

Exhibit viewing is scheduled from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. A "Program of Remembrance" will start at 2 o’clock.

Themed "Resurrecting and Restoring Our History--Emmett Till In Our Tomorrows," this dedication will be a tribute to the memory of Emmett Till in observance of his tragic death 51 years ago, August 28, 1955.

At fourteen, Emmett left his south side Chicago home on August 20, 1955 for a visit with his uncle Mose in Money, Mississippi. On August 24, the fourth day of his stay, Till and his cousins went to Bryant’s Grocery and Meat Market.

Till was alleged to have made inappropriate remarks and wolf-whistled to the then 21-year-old Carolyn Bryant, the owner’s wife.

Four days later on Sunday, August 28, Carolyn’s husband, his half brother and others, including at least one identified Black man, forcibly took Emmett from his bed in his uncle’s house.

Three days later on August 31, Till’s body was found in the Tallahatchie River with a 75-pound cotton gin fan barbed wired to his neck.

His head and body had been beaten and tortured. An apparent bullet hole was found in his forehead.

Also unveiled in this exhibit will be a standing life-size paper mache figure of Emmett created by art instructor Gavin Smith and assisted by Blyden students.

This exhibit opening will additionally acknowledge nationally renowned playwright Ifa Bayeza who has devoted, beginning in 1992, more than a decade to the research and writing of her play "Till." Bayeza will present excerpts from "Till" on this occasion.

Bayeza planned and facilitated a two-day professional development in-service on Emmett Till for Blyden faculty this past spring on Friday, April 28 through Saturday, April 29. The exhibit is the beginning of a larger effort on the life and times if Emmett Louis Till that will be included as a continuing and growing structured component of the Blyden Delany Academy curriculum.

"One source for the tone and direction of this exhibit is manifest from one of our own here in Milwaukee, Daniel F. Gregory," says Blyden Principal Taki S. Raton.

Gregory is the owner of Manhyia Home Gallery, which sponsored a showing of Keth A. Beauchamp’s "The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till" on February 25 at the women’s center.

In an April 12 article appearing in this paper, Gregory was quoted as saying that one of his objectives in showing this film was "to bring young people together with the elders to share an understanding of the social arrangements in the South between Black and White people such that a cross generational dialogue can be inspired."

He adds that one particular point he wanted to stress was that at the time of Till, there was virtually no such thing as Black-on-Black violence.

"It was unacceptable. We were a unified and loving people with and towards one another and towards others. Violence was perpetrated on us from others and not on us as is the case today."

"There are six objective of this exhibit effort," says Raton. "First we want to share the legacy of Emmett Till within the context of the relationships between Blacks and Whites in the South during the 1950s with specific emphasis on the circumstances surrounding his death. Second, is to compare the era of Emmett with the violent realities of today’s youth with the Black-on-Black crime epidemic plaguing our communities around the country.

"Third, we want to inspire an intergenerational conversation between our elders and our young people. We wish for our elders to: a) tell our young people about their experiences in the South with White people during this time; b) remind us and describe the times when our intact Black communities were loving, caring and protective of our young and c) hopefully the dialogue could generate an awareness of what happened in our Black communities over the last fifty-one years from 1955 to the present to shed some light as to why we are killing one another.

"Fourthly, our children must know, love and embrace our history. We want to introduce the exhibit format as yet another vehicle for transmitting historical knowledge."

Lastly, concludes Raton, the fifth objective of this exhibit is noted in its dedication:

"This exhibit will be dedicated to Emmett Louis Till and to the 387 year corridor of Black males, young and old from 1619 to the present, who met homicidal death at the hands of White men and now Black men: to those brothers of the Ancient Sun now gone who never experienced the humane privilege on the African World stage of time and achievement to see, appreciate, know, and love their ancestral kingdom."

The student art on display from Blyden--"Reflections of Culture, History and Pride"--says Raton, will resurrect Emmett and reconnect our youth to a proud and dignified tomorrow that will never be known to some but rescued, reclaimed and restored for our children of today who would be given the blessed opportunity to reconnect to their greatness.

"Innertainment" at his premier opening will be provided by OMA-ANA (Children of the Spirit of the Drum) African Dance and Drumming Company under the direction of Dr. Cecil Austin.

Blyden drummers Kumasi Allen and recent June graduate Kamron Sykes will also contribute their combine talents to the day’s festivities. Allen and Sykes were awarded membership this past semester into Ton Ko-Thi Children’s Performing Ensemble of Milwaukee’s Ko-Thi Dance Company.

Admission is free and the public is invited. Refreshment will be served. For additional information, contact Taki S. Raton during normal business hours at 933-1130.