"Forgotten Images" returns with an emphasis on Black workmanship

Miniature sculptures, railroad signs, cotton bales and antique tribal helmets were all laid along the tables of the exhibit as David McLucas welcomed those in to see their extensive collection.

“Forgotten Images: A Traveling Educational Exhibit and Museum” was featured in room 219 at the Johnson Student Center on Feb. 20. The exhibit is owned by McLucas, who has taken the exhibits to schools, churches and various community events for people to see. For this year, McLucas focused his exhibition towards the Black History Month theme of Black labor by displaying the excellence and hardships of their hard work.

For over 20 years, McLucas collected over 2,000 artifacts and has taken the time to research, study and provide history on these artifacts he deems forgotten over time.

“We have stuff here from 1619 from when they first brought slaves over to America, and artifacts we acquired in Nigeria and other regions of Africa,” McLucas said.

In the West African exhibition, the brilliance is inherently shown in the intricate artifacts made many centuries ago by West African tribes.

Moorish statues, Mende tribal helmets and Dogon tribal sculptures were spread across the tables each telling a different story.

“The Dogon studied astronomy, and they knew about a star system and a certain star in the sky that you could not see with the naked eye,” McLucas explained. “In 1967, the star that the tribe had talked about for four thousands of years was discovered.”

That same star was Sirius B, a white dwarf star part of the Sirius star system where the Dogon claimed their ancestors originated from.

However, not all of the artifacts had a story to trace back to. McLucas acquired a metal statue of unknown origin, depicting ten servants carrying a leader on a makeshift carriage, while another subject is shackled and dragged by the servants in the back of the carriage.

Despite numerous examinations by African collectors and memorabilia experts, McLucas has yet to find any clues of where and when the sculpture originated. They were, however, able to confirm that this was not a tourist piece and indeed had historical value.

“It’s a very rare, rare piece, nobody’s ever seen this before. But we’re trying to analyze it and get down where it’s from.”

The statue of unknown origin features four servants holding up their leader on a carriage, his treasurers leading in the front and his concubines following behind. In the back, a crawling subject is shackled to a servant wielding a billy club. Photo by Nico Escobedo/ el Don.

At the railroad exhibition, a waiting room sign loomed over the exhibition’s table that contained the words “whites only.” Underneath, a rusty restroom sign displayed segregation between the two groups.

After the Civil War, ex-slaves were recruited and hired by white people to build railroads across the West, but were segregated due to Jim Crow laws and treated more as servants rather than actual workers.

Those who dared to violate the Jim Crow laws were often faced with harsh prison sentences or even death by mob lynching.

“I was in shock,” said SAC student Erika Silva. “You read stories, you learn about these experiences in class, but to witness the signs like ‘whites only’ makes you realize that this was someone’s reality for many people.”

Despite being free citizens, many Black people faced harsh work environments, inadequate pay and cruel treatment from employers due to Jim Crow laws. Photo by Nico Escobedo/ el Don.

Black history is even represented in Black hair products, which have come a long way. Madam CJ Walker was one of the most successful Black entrepreneurs of all time.

Walker, motivated by her hair loss from a scalp disease and frustration from grueling physical labor, began selling her line of Black hair care products in 1904, and by 1910, she had founded the Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company. Her products on display included original pomades, black hair dyes, pressing oils, and metal hair brushes. Her contributions revolutionized hair care for all Black people.

Murray’s, Tuxedo Club, Lucky Brown, and La Jean Products, and Slick-black were products that helped Black men and women care for their hair better with pomades, hair oil and hair dye. Photo by Nico Escobedo/ el Don.

“With their adversity, they were able to overcome segregation, prejudices, institutional challenges and became people who made an impact on our culture, ” said Sterling Davis, SAC student and member of the U2 Scholars Program. “The end result is not a story of tragedy but a story of triumph.”