Saturday, February 10, through Sunday, April 22
Figge Art Museum, 225 West Second Street, Davenport IA
Presented in celebration of America's oldest, largest civil-rights organization and its local members, the Figge Art Museum will house History of the Davenport NAACP February 10 through April 22, a new exhibition focusing on area contributions to this nationwide effort that boasts more than 2,200 branches and roughly half a million members worldwide.
On display in the Figg's Learn to Look gallery, History of the Davenport NAACP includes memorabilia from 1916 to the present, including images of the original 1918 charter application and the by-laws and constitution of the Davenport branch. A collage wall of documents, letters, and images offers insight into the difficulties encountered by the city’s first organizers, whose tenacity in an adverse environment resulted in the formation of the Davenport branch of the NAACP.
The NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) was established in 1909 and was formed in New York City by white and black activists, partially in response to the ongoing violence against African Americans around the country. In the NAACP’s early decades, its anti-lynching campaign was central to its agenda, and the organization describes as its mission statement “to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination.”
Museum hours are Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (open until 9 p.m. on Thursdays) and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. For more information on the History of the Davenport NAACP exhibition and other Figge exhibits, programs, and events, call (563)326-7804 or visit FiggeArtMuseum.org.
