“A Call to the Ancestors,” an exhibition that captures the essence of historically significant Lincoln Memorial Park in Brownsville while celebrating ancestral traditions and inspiring community engagement, will be on display Sept. 16-Nov. 23, 2023 at the Little Haiti Cultural Complex in Miami.
The exhibition was created and curated by award-winning photojournalist Carl-Philippe Juste in collaboration with Rebecca Friedman , founding director of Florida International University's Wolfsonian Public Humanities Lab (WPHL) and professor of history.
Weathered American flags wave at the entrance of Lincoln Memorial Park in Miami's historic black neighborhood of Brownsville. The 20-acre memorial park was founded circa 1923 and was the "The Most Negro Cemetery of the South."
“A Call to the Ancestors” portrays the story of the Lincoln Memorial Park, a historic cemetery that bears witness to the profound impact of segregation, disasters and human-initiated actions. Essays, photographs and art pieces adorn the walls, weaving a collective narrative that showcases its historic significance as a final resting place for Black Americans, including war veterans, lynching victims and influential figures who shaped Miami's history.
A unique interactive highlight of the exhibition is The Parlor, which offers guests the opportunity to leave a recorded message for their ancestors. These messages will be archived and ultimately integrated into the exhibition, as it travels to other spaces.
The exhibition celebrates the resilience and unity inherent in cultural and religious practices that mark the transition from this life to the next, including traditions from Haitian, Central and South American, Caribbean, African American and Native American communities.
The show is a collaboration of Juste's Iris PhotoCollective , the Haitian Cultural Arts Alliance and WPHL, and is supported by FIU's Mellon Foundation-funded project, Commons for Justice: Race, Risk, Resilience. The Little Haiti Cultural Complex is located at 212 NE 59th Terrace, Miami.
To RSVP for the exhibition opening on Saturday, September 16, click here .