Bridgeman Art Library licenses images for a major U.S. exhibition

America I AM: The African American Imprint, is a new exhibition that celebrates nearly 500 years of African American contributions to the U.S. The exhibit will land next at the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center for the 10-city, four-year tour, which has already received tens of thousands of visitors since debuting at Philadelphia’s National Constitution Center on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday in mid-January. Covering over 15,000 square-feet, America I AM will present pivotal moments in courage, conviction and creativity that celebrate the undeniable imprint of African Americans across the nation and around the world. Through more than 200 rare historic objects, documents, photos and multimedia, the exhibition explores how African Americans have contributed to and shaped American culture across four core areas: economic, socio-political, cultural and spiritual. The exhibition relates important events and people from the beginnings of the nation up through the present-day inauguration of the first African American president.

Bridgeman Art Library is pleased to have licensed seven images for this important exhibition.
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Twelve galleries convey a journey from struggle to triumph to celebration. Among the poignant pieces in the exhibition are:

• “The Doors of No Return” from the Cape Coast Castle in Ghana, which enslaved Africans passed through to board ships to the “New World”
• Objects representing the African American troops that fought and impacted the outcome of major U.S. wars
• Malcolm X’s journal and personal Koran
• The door key and stool from the Birmingham jail cell that held Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. when he authored “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”
• Frederick Douglass’ clothing and letter from President Lincoln that enabled him to move among Union lines recruiting black soldiers