Partners in Racial Justice & The Color of Money (Virtual)

Cultural Conversations at the Center

Dive into the latest Art Exhibition 'The Color of Money' on display at AARLCC with Derik Smith, Ph.D., Partners in Racial Justice.

Broward County African American Research Library and Cultural Center (AARLCC) in collaboration with Partners in Racial Justice presents Cultural Conversations at the Center: The Color of Money.

In today’s Cultural Conversation we invite Partners in Racial Justice Board Member Derik Smith, Ph.D. and professor at Claremont McKenna College, and artist/cotton farmer Deaon Griffin-Pressley to discuss the historical context and contemporary relevance of the current exhibition Confederate Currency: The Color of Money on display at AARLCC until January 8, 2022. Leading the conversation is Dr. Ramona LaRoche Librarian at AARLCC.

The Color of Money is an art-based educational initiative featuring paintings of enslaved people discovered on confederate and southern states’ currency. Three hundred paintings by African American Artist, John W. Jones, provide a sense of dignity to the enslaved subjects while shedding new light on the relationship between slavery, institutional racism, and the economic making of America.

Cultural Conversations at the Center series takes place on the first Thursday of the month and features intellectually stimulating programs with thought and industry leaders, scholars, educators, filmmakers, artists, and others whose work celebrates and illuminates aspects of Black history and culture. This event is supported by the Friends of AARLCC, watch on https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBCDj_C3_trIiWfBQN8Gr4A.

Visit the African American Research Library & Cultural Center In Broward County, FL, and view the latest Art Exhibition The Color of Money:

The Color of Money art exhibition tells a story set in 19th century America; however, it continues a contemporary dialogue regarding race, economics, and cultural memory. The African American Research Library and Cultural Center (AARLCC) Special Collection's Archive provides historical context bridging the past and the present related to Black history. In this exhibition, the archival content curated from our collection enhances the themes presented in The Color of Money by artist John W. Jones.

Drawn from the money notes of secessionist southern states in nineteenth-century Civil War America, these paintings consider the inextricable relationship between the enslavement of Africans and the foundation of America’s economic power. Debates about how we remember the Confederacy continue in the present from flags to monuments. In looking historically at how Black enslavement as human capital was depicted on Confederate currency, the exhibit highlights how the South was deeply invested in keeping the peculiar institution of slavery as the foundation of its labor and economies. Healing the wounds of racism today requires an honest reckoning with the national history that is presented in this exhibit - a national history that is impossible to ignore when it’s "On the Money".

Confederate Currency, Color of Money highlights an important part of American history that challenges us to reckon with the past even in the present. We welcome all to experience this educational and transformative exhibit. Through this exhibit, our goal is to foster honest dialogue and constructive action in order to create racial unity. 

The Color of Money is free and open to the public on Monday & Wednesday 11 am-7 pm and Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday 10 am-6 pm (closed Sundays).

For additional information on the exhibition, call 954-357-6282.

The exhibition is presented by the Broward County African-American Research Library and Cultural Center (AARLCC) in collaboration with Partners in Racial Justice and supported by the Friends of the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center, Florida Memorial University Social Justice Institute, and the South Florida People of Color.

About the African American Research Library and Cultural Center 
The Broward County African American Research Library and Cultural Center (AARLCC) is located in the Sistrunk community, one of the oldest historically Black communities named for one of Fort Lauderdale’s first Black physicians. Opening to the public on October 26, 2002, AARLCC became the third public library of its kind in the United States dedicated to the study of Black history and culture. The 60,000 square-foot Center serves as a repository of materials related to the local, national, and international voices of the African diaspora with more than 85,000 books, manuscripts, artifacts, framed art, print, photography, audiovisual, and documents held in our Adult Services Section and Special Collections. The Youth Services Section features a special collection of Coretta Scott King Award books and the Ashley Bryan Art Collection from illustrators of African Descent. AARLCC also features a 5,000 sq. ft. museum, a 300-seat state-of-the-art theatre, and a Computer Training Center.

About Broward County Libraries 
Broward County Libraries Division, named 2020 and 2015 Library of the Year by the Florida Library Association, was founded in 1974 and is the largest library system in Florida by square footage and one of the busiest, with more than 7.5 million walk-in customers visiting its 38 locations annually. Broward County Libraries Division provides convenient access to a full range of innovative and cost-effective services that satisfy the changing needs of the people of Broward County for information, education, and recreation. Visit our website, Broward.org/Library, or follow Libraries on Facebook and Twitter.

About Partners in Racial Justice

Partners in Racial Justice is dedicated to engaging in creative ways and means of bringing all people together in the pursuit of racial justice, healing, and unity.

Room capacity is limited to ensure compliance with social distancing guidelines. Indoor, in-person programs will be contingent on the Centers for Disease Control benchmark and guidance for low COVID-19 infection rates. High rates of infection will necessitate the cancellation of indoor, in-person programs. In the event indoor, in-person programs are canceled, there are many online programs available at https://www.youtube.com/browardcountylibrary

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