Art

Chase (1923-2019) was known as the "Queen of Creole Cuisine" and transformed Dooky Chase's Restaurant in New Orleans into a civil rights movement meeting place and a Black dining institution. While running one of the first upscale dining establishments for Black patrons in the segregated South, she served both civil rights leaders and local residents, making her restaurant a vital cultural and political center where leaders could meet to discuss strategy during the civil rights movement. Beyond her role in social justice, Chase was also renowned for her contributions to Creole cooking, her vast Black art collection displayed in the restaurant, and her influence on American culinary culture, inspiring the character Tiana in Disney's "The Princess and the Frog."

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” - I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Annie Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri on April 4, 1928. She and her older brother, Bailey Jr, who nicknamed her Maya, were born to Bailey Johnson, a doorman and navy dietitian, and Vivian (Baxter) Johnson, a nurse and card dealer. She was a poet, author, civil rights activist, and director.

“I have always wanted my art to service my people—to reflect us, to relate to us, to stimulate us, to make us aware of our potential.”

Lewis (1844-1907) was a sculptor, known as Wildfire.

Hutson (1914-1998) was an educator, archivist, and curator at the New York Public library - the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

Burroughs (1915-2010), was an Artist, Archivist, Poet, Writer, and Founder of the DuSable Museum of African American History and the South Side Community Art Center - both in Chicago. She dedicated her life to preserving and championing Black art, literature, culture, and history.

Burke (1900-1955) was a sculptor, educator, art school founder, and fixture in the Harlem Renaissance. Her bas relief image of President Franklin Roosevelt is permanently displayed at the Recorder of Deeds Building in Washington, D.C. and is the disputed inspiration for the American dime.