New photo exhibit highlights intersections of racism at UNC

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Source: Raymond Boyd/Getty

A new exhibit at the National Civil Rights Museum delves into the racist history of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and its neighboring community.

Tarred Healing is a powerful and thought-provoking photographic exhibition that examines the intersection of racism, Confederate monuments, and the complex relationship between the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, its students, and the surrounding black community. The exhibit, created by award-winning photographer Cornell Watson, features 15 images depicting vandalized and segregated cemeteries, students protesting denial of tenure for color faculty, protests against environmental racism and sites of racial terrorism.

We first learned of Watson’s story through national media, said Dr. Noelle Trent, director of museum interpretation, collections and education. Tarred Healing reflects the complex and difficult process of racial reconciliation beyond the removal of Confederate symbols on campuses across the country. Watson’s vivid photograph illustrates the long arc to justice, she said.

The exhibit was first removed from a center on the UNC campus after university officials had “disagreements over content and scope,” leading Watson to accuse the university of censorship.

The display of the exhibit at the National Civil Rights Museum is important to Watson, because the stories and themes depicted in Tarred Healing mirror many of those found at the National Civil Rights Museum.

Watson’s photographs are a combination of conceptual and documentary photography and serve as a reflection of the reality of racism and its impact on the community. It is intended as a shameless archive of feelings and emotions and serves as a vehicle for self-healing. Watson acknowledges that the tarring of Confederate monuments serves as a metaphor for the tarring of the cure for racism.

“Many of the stories highlighted in Tarred Healing mirror those we see at the National Civil Rights Museum, Watson said. of Nikole Hannah Jones and black student movements like SNCC during the civil rights movement.

The stories of Tarred Healing are not unique, they encapsulate so many stories that we all know as black people. It is truly an honor to share these stories in the same space where the stories of my real-life heroes are shared. There couldn’t be a better place and time for this work to be here, he said.

The exhibit is currently on display at the National Civil Rights Museum and will remain there until March 20, 2023, and is included with admission.

It could be a meaningful and informative experience for visitors and an opportunity to reflect on past and present racism in America.

Click here for more information on the exhibition.

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