Photograph courtesy National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.

by Kirk Maltais

The traveling Smithsonian exhibition Let Your Motto Be Resistance: African American Portraits, opened at the The Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia Saturday, July 9th. The exhibit, which displays a series of historic photography from the 19th and 20th centuries, explores the theme of resistance in the African American community.

The title of the exhibit comes from the words of 19th-century abolitionist Henry Highland Garnet, who once said “Rather die freemen than live to be slaves. Remember that you are four million! … Awake, awake! Let your motto be resistance, resistance, resistance!” Let Your Motto Be Resistance displays 69 black and white photographs from the National Portrait Gallery, all of which highlight the historic struggles of the African American community. The exhibition features iconic photographs of individuals such as Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, Jackie Robinson, and Lena Horne.

Nationally, the exhibit is sponsored by MetLife. Locally, the exhibit is sponsored by Altria and Capital One.

The exhibit will remain on display in Richmond until October 1st.