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\\r ^ % THE PALMER MEMORIAL INSTITUTE An African American Preparatory School in SecJalia, North Carolina A Traveling Exhibition oftlie Center for Documentary Studies at Dul<e University "I sit in a Jim Crow car, but my mind l(eeps company with tlie kings and queens have I known. External constraints must not he allowed to segregate mind or soul." —Charlotte Hawkins Brown, founder of Palmer Memorial Institute THE PALMER MEMORIAL INSTITUTE Charlotte Hawkins Brown (1883-1961), born in Henderson, North Carolina, and raised andeducated in Massacliusetts, returnedto lierhomestatetoteach in 1901. The following year she established the Alice Freeman Palmer Memorial Institute (PMI) in Sedalia, nearGreensboro, named after Brown's mentor and benefactor, the secondwoman president ofWellesleyCollege. Brown's reputationgrew nationally as she raised fundsto expand campusfacilities and worked to strengthen PMI's artistic and scholarly offerings. Through herefforts, the school evolved from an agricul- tural and manual training facility to a fully accredited, nationally recognized African American preparatory school. During her fifty-year tenure as president, more than onethousand studentsgraduatedfromthe school, before it closed in 1971. In 1987 theCharlotte Hawkins Brown Museum opened onthe PMI grounds. NorthCarolina's first African American state historic site. ThePalmerMemorial Institute exhibition includes seventeen ofGriffith Davis's black-and-white photographs ofstudent life (circa 1947) at the Palmer Memorial Institute. Thework ofAfrican American photographer Griff Davis, an accomplished photojournalist, hasappeared inthe New York Times,AtlantaDaily World. Ebony. Time, Fortune, NegroDigest, and DerSpiegel.Theexhibit alsoincludesDavis's1947 Ebony magazine spreadon PMI,text panels, and an audiodocumentary including interviews with Palmer Memorial Institutegraduates. The exhibition providesthe opportunity for dialogue about segregation in educa- tion, black women's leadership and business development, the complexity ofeco- nomic and educational standing of African Americans in the South during the Jim Crow era, and educational institutions' roles in developing strategiesfor economic successforAfrican Americans, among othertopics. The Center for Documentary Studies (CDS) at Duke University offerstraveling exhibi- — — tions featuring documentary photography, audio, and video that foster dialogue about contemporary memory, life, and culture; balance community goalswith individ- ual artistic expression: and cultivate progressive change. CDS also offers documentary workshops in conjunction with many of its exhibits. Contact: Liz Lindsey, Exhibitions Coordinator Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University 1317 W. Pettigrew Street, Durham, NC 27705 919-660-3663 http://cds.aas,duke.edu | Thisexhibitionwasorganized bythe Centerfor Documentary Studiesfrom theGriffith Davis Collection, Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, Duke University. Support forthetraveling exhibition was provided bythe North Carolina HumanitiesCouncil, a state- based program ofthe National Endowment forthe Humanities; the North CarolinaArts Council, withfundingfromthe State ofNorth Carolina andthe National Endowmentforthe Arts,which believesthat agreat nation deservesgreat art; andthe St. Joseph's Historic Foundation Inc. at the Hayti Heritage Center. ^ ^ -g- florih(iroliiidllDnidniiinrounril www.ncanc.org Topfront: Posing with friends: bottom front: Dancingat theprom with classmate Robert MinorofDurham, North Carolina: left: Sayinggoodnight outside thegirls' dorm aftera dance. Photographs by Griffith Davis.