Civil Rights and the African-American Artist: Have We Overcome?

Abstract

This essay re-evaluates the Civil Rights Movement from an internal participant perspective. Solo artists Joe Overstreet, Charles Searles, and Ed Wilson Jr., and the creative team of Houston Conwill, Estella Conwill Majozo, and Joseph DePace were invited to participate in this critical, art historical re-reading and re-evaluation of the Civil Rights Movement. This period's impact on African-American art in general and on the artists' individual works in particular are central to this reading. Chosen because of their geographical proximity to the interviewer, the strength of their work, their reputation in the African- American art community, and the diversity of their creativity, these individuals were extensively interviewed regarding their activities during the fifties, sixties, and seventies.