"It is truly remarkable, the things which the Negro people have accomplished within living memory - their progress in agriculture and industry, their achievements in the field of education, their contributions to the arts and sciences and, in general, to good citizenship."
--President Franklin Roosevelt, "Letter on Negro Progress," December 26, 1935
Above: "The Negro's Contribution in the Social and Cultural Development of America," an oil painting by Millard Owen Sheets (1907-1989). This artwork is part of a larger set of murals that Sheets painted for the U.S. Department of the Interior Building. Precise information on the painting is hard to come by, but it's likely he was awarded a contract by the New Deal's Section of Fine Arts in 1939, but was unable to complete it until 1948 because of wartime duties (see, e.g., "Murals Show Negro Life," The Bakersfield Californian, November 2, 1948, p. 13). Sheets also assisted in the administration of the New Deal's Public Works of Art Project, 1933-1934. Image courtesy of the General Services Administration and Carol M. Highsmith.
Above: Science work in the new PWA-funded Chemistry Building at Howard University, Washington, DC, ca. 1937. Speaking about the growth of Howard University, President Roosevelt said, "The American Negro's response to this opportunity in the field of higher learning has been prompt and eager as in other fields. In 1867 at the first term of Howard University ninety-four students enrolled. Today there are nearly two thousand students on the lists" ("Address at the Dedication the New Chemistry Building, Howard University, Washington, D. C.," October 26, 1936). Photo courtesy of the National Archives.
Above: A program & guide book for the American Negro Exposition, held in Chicago in the summer of 1940. FDR appointed a "United State Auxiliary Commission" for this two-month event. Image courtesy of the Internet Archive.
American Negro Exposition of 1940
American Negro Exposition of 1940
On page 1 in the above program & guide book, we read: "This is the first real Negro World's Fair in all history and is being held in Chicago... Government departments and federal agencies are cooperating completely. Secretary of Agriculture Henry A. Wallace has ordered the FSA, AAA, and U.S. Extension Service to prepare large exhibits... [the FSA brings] displays prepared by NYA, CCC, Social Security Board, Department of Education and Public Health Service. Under Administrator John Carmody of FWA, exhibits are shown for USHA, WPA and PWA while secretary of Labor Frances Perkins has arranged for a labor exhibit flanked by a showing of women's and children's bureau activities... The exposition will promote racial understanding and good will; enlighten the world on the contributions of the Negro to civilization; and make the Negro conscious of his dramatic progress since emancipation."
The two-month exposition included historical exhibits, murals, dioramas, singing, theatre & dance, special days (for example, "Pennsylvania Day - CCC Day" and "Boy and Girl Scouts Day"), and more. Though the American Negro Exposition has been forgotten about today, it was a big event in 1940 - and an important event for the African American community.
Above: The WPA Writers' Project for Illinois produced a book to go along with the American Negro Exposition, Cavalcade of the American Negro. The supervisor for the book, Curtis D. MacDougall, wrote: "This is the story of a brave people forced to become a part of the American scene, more often than not treated unjustly, generally discriminated against, and frequently persecuted; yet, despite these handicaps, a people who have contributed generously to American culture" (p. 9). Image scanned from personal copy.
Above: A WPA poster, promoting the WPA book, Cavalcade of the American Negro. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.
Above: A WPA poster encouraging people to read & learn about African American history and culture. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.
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